TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

Eye Health and Safety Program

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

The Teacher Resource Guide was designed to provide the teacher with background information on the

topics presented in each lesson, as well as additional resources and recommending reading.

211 West Wacker Drive, Suite 1700 H Chicago, Illinois 60606 H 800.331.2020

12-0403 04/12 © 2012 Prevent Blindness® All rights reserved.

Eye Health and Safety ProgramTEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

COnTEnTSIncludes topic background information, interesting facts, web resources

and recommended reading for each section.

Lesson 1: Eyes – Our Window to the World 1

Lesson 2: Seeing Through Lenses 3

Lesson 3: A World Without Sight 5

Lesson 4: A Timeline of Clear Vision 8

Lesson 5: Taking Care of Your Eyes 10

Worksheet Answer Key 11

Lesson 1: Eyes – Our Window to the WorldBackground

Eyes – Our Window to the World emphasizes the role of vision in the realm of the five senses.

We use our vision to learn about the world around us. Although approximately 80 percent of our

learning is acquired through sight, all senses work together to enhance our learning experiences.

Approximately 75 percent of the school day is spent in visual activities-primary reading and

writing.

Interesting Facts H One in 20 preschool-aged students has vision problems

H One of every four school-aged students has vision problems

H Children are frequently unaware they may have vision problems

Prevent Blindness recommends eye exams at the following intervals: birth, six months, pre-school,

suspicion of an eye problem, regularly throughout the school years to ensure good vision in both

eyes.

If not detected early, vision problems in children can lead to a variety of problems. Untreated

vision problems can lead to loss of vision, learning difficulties, and delays in development.

Screening is a means for targeting vision problems early in life so that they can be diagnosed and

treated appropriately. Screenings are typically conducted in primary care, school, and community

settings. Screening is not for diagnosis or to determine treatment, but to provide information.

If left undetected and untreated, vision problems in children can lead to:

H Permanent, uncorrectable loss of vision

H Learning difficulties

H Delayed sensory, motor, cognitive, and social-emotional development

And can negatively impact:

H Athletic performance

H Self-esteem

H Ability to learn

H All aspects of a child’s life

Vision disorders are the leading cause of disabling conditions in childhood. The critical period of

vision development is up to approximately age eight.

– 1 –

Resources

How Vision Works

www.howstuffworks.com/eye.htm

Eye, Eye, Eye, Eye, Questions about Eyes (Animal Eyes)

www.ebiomedia.com/gall/eyes/eye1.html

ThinkQuest: Sight the First Sense: Seeing is Believing

www.library.thinkquest.org/JO11067/frames/index.htm

Optical Illusions

www.sandlotscience.com

An Interactive Introduction to the Eye

www.1800contacts.com/vision101

Glossary of Terms

www.tedmontgomery.com/the_eye/index.html

Recommended Reading

How the Body Works by Steve Parker, 1994, A Reader’s Digest Book.

Eyes by Aleksander Jedrosz, Troll, 1992. Discusses the parts of the eye, how they function to

produce the phenomenon of vision in humans and animals, and other aspects of the act

of seeing.

– 2 –

Lesson 2: Seeing Through LensesBackground

Because the eye is so complex, defects are bound to occur. It is estimated that as many as 90

percent of us have at least slightly imperfect eyesight. About 60 percent of us need corrective

lenses sometimes, if not all of the time. Only a few enjoy perfect vision without correction

throughout life.

More than 50 percent of all people in the United States use some type of lens to correct their

vision. More than 12 million school-age children, or one in four, have vision impairment. One in

twenty preschoolers needs vision correction.

Eye Care Professionals

There are three primary types of eye care professionals. Only an ophthalmologist or optometrist

can conduct an eye exam, diagnose an eye problem and correct it with glasses or other treatment.

Ophthalmologist – An ophthalmologist is a physician (doctor of medicine or doctor of

osteopathy) who specializes in the comprehensive care of the eyes and visual system in the

prevention of eye injury and disease. The ophthalmologist has completed four or more years of

college premedical education, four or more years of medical school, one year of internship, three

or more years of specialized medical and surgical training, and clinical experience in eye care.

The ophthalmologist is a physician who is qualified by lengthy medical education, training, and

experience to diagnose, treat, and manage all eye and visual system problems and is licensed by

a state regulatory board to practice medicine and surgery. The ophthalmologist is the medically

trained specialists who can delivery total eye care: primary, secondary, and tertiary care services

and diagnose general diseases of the body.

Optometrist – Doctors of optometry, optometrists, are independent primary health care

providers who specialize in the examination, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases

and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures, as well as the diagnosis

of related systemic conditions. The optometrist has completed pre-professional education at

a college or university, four years at a college of optometry, and in some cases, a residency.

Doctors of optometry are specifically trained and state licensed to provide primary eye care

services. These services include comprehensive eye health and vision examinations; diagnosis

and treatment of eye diseases and vision disorders; the prescribing of glasses, contact lenses,

low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy, drugs and medications; and the counseling of patients

regarding their vision needs as related to their occupation, avocations and lifestyles.

Optician – Opticians are professionals in the field of designing, finishing, fitting, and dispensing

of eyeglasses and contact lenses, based on an eye doctor’s prescription. The optician also

may dispense colored and specialty lenses for particular needs, as well as, low-vision aids and

artificial eyes.– 3 –

Visual Acuity – Vision may be tested in a number of ways. Visual acuity testing is the primary

measure of the visual system. Visual acuity is the keenness of perception or the ability to discern

fine visual differences. Visual acuity testing is performed to determine the integrity of the eye’s

neural elements, the accuracy of retinal focus, and the interpretive faculty of the brain. Visual

acuity is recorded as a fraction, i.e. 20/20. The larger the bottom number the worse the vision.

The top number represents the distance from the person to the chart. The bottom number

indicates the smallest line a subject could read correctly from the chart. The LEA and the ETDRS

charts are most typically used to measure acuity.

Resources

How to Make a Magnifying Glass

www.ehow.com/how_5002258_make-magnifying-glass.html#ixzz1phaTzK4c

Recommended Reading

Lenses Take a Closer Look by Siegfriend Aust, Lerner Publications, 1991. Explains all about lenses,

magnifying glasses, telescopes, microscopes, eyeglasses, vision, and eye care

Spectacles by Ellen Raskin, Antheneum, 1980 A nearsighted little girl talks about and shows some

of the usual things she saw before being fitted for glasses

Optical Tricks

www.educationworld.com/a_books/books062.shtml

Lessons and pictures on lenses

www.opticalres.com/optics_for_kids/kidoptx_p2.html

Medical Library with Information on Eye Health

www.meden.com/index.cfm

– 4 –

Lesson 3: A World without SightBackground

Most sighted people believe that blind people need a lot of help. What do you believe about

blindness? Our beliefs are important because what we believe affects the way we behave. Why do

sighted people believe blind people are helpless? It may be because sighted people can’t imagine

doing things without eyesight.

Interesting Facts

Who was Louis Braille?

The Braille system of reading and writing was developed by a Frenchman named Louis Braille

when he was just a boy. He became blind through an accident, and he discovered that trying

to read raised letters was much too slow. He wanted a faster way for blind people to read and

write. He modeled Braille after a system of codes used by the military, and then he expanded his

system. For more information about Louis Braille, please visit your school or public library.

What is Braille?

Named after its creator, Louis Braille, it is a system of making raised dots on paper to form

letters and words that are read by the blind with their fingertips. The basic Braille ‘cell’ consists

of two columns of three dots. The dots are numbered 1-2-3 from top to bottom on the left side

of the cell and 4-5-6 from top to bottom on the right side of the cell. Each Braille letter, word,

punctuation mark, number, or musical note can be made up using different combinations of these

dots. Braille can be written with a Braillewriter. It can also be written by using a pointed stylus

to punch dots down through paper using a Braille slate with rows of small ‘cells’ in it as a guide.

This method of writing Braille compares to writing print with a pen or pencil.

Who was Helen Keller?

Helen Keller was both deaf and blind. Although she had to fight to get the opportunity, she

graduated from Radcliffe College. She wrote several books and worked hard to improve

opportunities for the deaf and the blind. At the time when she lived, people who were both

deaf and blind did not have very many opportunities. Now there is better education, training,

employment, and other opportunities for the deaf-blind.

Mobility and Blindness

People who are blind or visually impaired use four mobility methods when they need assistance.

In Safe Travel: H A long white cane

H A guide dog

– 5 –

H “Trailing a wall” to get about inside a house or office.

H The assistance of a sighted person (sighted guide).

Role of a Guide Dog H Lead a person from point A to point B in a straight line.

H Stop for all changes in elevation (curbs, stairs).

H Lead their partner around obstacles, including overhead obstacles that only the dog would be able to pass under.

H The person who is blind (the handler) must know which direction to go to reach the desired destination in order to give commands for the dog to follow. The Guide Dog is not trained to read.

H The handler receives communication from the dog through the harness handle.

H The handler learns to recognize and follow the dog’s movement when it veers from a straight line in order to avoid obstacles.

H The handler knows to stop or proceed with caution when the dog slows or stops.

* Access laws in the United States and Canada, including the Americans with Disabilities Act,

permit guide dogs and their handlers to go everywhere the general public is allowed.

Resources

General information about blindness

nfb.org/straight-forward-answers-about-blindness

Teachers working with blind children

www.blindchildren.org/textonly/to_edu_dev/3_5_5.html

Guide Dogs

www.guidedogs.com

Rules of blindness/ national Federation for Blindness

nfb.org/straight-forward-answers-about-blindness

Braille Activities and Resources

www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/readingwriting/braille/Pages/braille.aspx

American Foundation for the Blind-Braille: Deciphering the Code

www.afb.org/braillebug/braille_deciphering.asp

– 6 –

American Federation for the Blind (Braille for Children)

www.aftb.org/braillebug/

Visual Impairments and Blindness

www.losteye.com

Recommended Reading

My Hands, My World by Catherine Brighton, McMillan, 1984

Through Grandpa’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachan, Harper and Row, 1980

A Guide Dog Goes to School: The Story of a Dog Trained to Lead the Blind

by Elizabeth Simpson Smith and Bert Dodson

A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up by Caroline Arnold

A Long Walk to a Guide Dog by Dr. Angela L. O’Rourke

– 7 –

Lesson 4: Timeline of Clear VisionBackground

The history of glass provides some fascinating facts to share with students in the introduction

of the timeline on clear vision. Many resources are available to support this lesson and resource

links are provided.

It wasn’t until around 2500 BC that people began to make glass for themselves. The first glass

was little glass beads, which people used for necklaces. Later they learned to make strings of

glass, which you could wrap around a clay pot to decorate it. The making of glass had a large

impact on future developments in eye care.

Interesting Facts

Glasses

Around 1000, the first vision aid was invented (inventor unknown) called a reading stone, which

was a glass sphere that was laid on top of the material to be read that magnified the letters.

Around 1284 in Italy, Salvino D’Armate is credited with inventing the first wearable eye glasses.

Sunglasses

Around the year 1752, eyeglass designer James Ayscough introduced his spectacles with double-

hinged side pieces. The lenses were made of tinted glass as well as clear. Ayscough felt that white

glass created an offensive glaring light that was bad to the eyes. He advised the use of green and

blue glasses. Ayscough glasses were the first sunglass-like eyeglasses, but they were not made to

shield the eyes from the sun, they corrected for vision problems.

Resources

www.eyedidn’tknowthat.info/

How to Make a Timeline

dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/timeline.html

The History of Eye Glasses and Spectacles

inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/a/glass_3.htm

blog.firmoo.com/how-do-eyeglasses-come-into-being.html

– 8 –

History of Glass

encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/gl/Glass

www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/glass.htm

Kids Health – History of Glasses

www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=1826

Recommended Reading: Book Characters Wearing Glasses

The Harry Potter Books, by JK Rowling

Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhuge

The Eyes of Kid Midas, by Neal Shusterman

The Girl with the Silver Eyes, Willo Davis Roberts

– 9 –

Lesson 5: Taking Care of Your EyesBackground – Ultra Violet Rays

Sun produces both visible and invisible light energy. Visible light is only one small part of the

boarder band of energy know as the electromagnetic spectrum which also includes radio waves,

microwaves, x-rays, and ultraviolet (UV) waves. Humans see visible light waves as the colors of

the rainbow. The sun also produces UV light which is invisible to the human eye.

When UV rays hit the earth every day, even on cloudy days, exposure to this invisible UV

radiation can cause a number of health related issues including sunburn, skin cancer, damage to

the retina and a weakening of the immune system.

The earth is currently receiving an excess of UV radiation due to the depletion of the ozone layer.

The ozone layer is a thin layer of gases in the earth’s atmosphere that absorbs UV radiation from

the sun and prevents it from reaching the earth where it can harm people, animals and plants.

Human reliance on chemical compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) created holes in

the ozone layer. CFCs are used in refrigerators, spray cans, air conditioners and cleaning solutions.

While it is essential to wear only sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays, it is important to

understand that not all sunglasses are impact resistant. Eyewear that offers UV protection and

meets Protective Sports Eyewear standards should be worn while playing sports.

Sports Eye Safety

The impact of a ball or other equipment as well as an opponent’s hands and elbows pose a

threat to an athlete’s visual safety. According to a 2001 report by Prevent Blindness of America,

there are over 38,000 sports-related eye injuries requiring costly emergency room care. School-

aged competitors are particularly prone to eye injuries since their athletic skills (hand-eye

coordination, balance, reaction time and speed) are still being developed. However, regardless

of an individual’s age or skill level, every athlete’s eyes are targets for injury. Under most

circumstances, at least 90% of sports-related eye injuries are preventable with the proper use of

protective sports eyewear.

Protective Sports Eyewear are eyeglass frames or goggles specifically designed and manufactured

to meet or exceed the appropriate US impact protection standards. All protective sports eyewear

must also have polycarbonate lenses designed to withstand impact. Students participating in

sports should use sports safety eyewear that meet ASTM F803 standard.

Two important US standards:

ASTM F803 – The American Society for Testing and Materials publishes protective eyewear

standards for various sports. F803 is the most strict standard for protective eyewear.

ANSI Z87.1 – The American National Standards Institute publishes standards for protective

eyewear for occupational safety.

– 10 –

Preventing Eye Injuries

Eye injuries can occur at home, school, during play, sports or recreational events. It is

important for students to understand the variety of ways to avoid an eye injury. A resource

has been provided for use in the classroom or for family discussions regarding eye safety

at home or outside.

Resources

Eye Safety

http://www.eyedidntknowthat.info/

http://www.libertysport.com

www.preventblindness.org/protect-your-eyes-sun

www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/health-information/topic-by-id.cfm?ContentTypeId=90&ContentId=P02792

Recommended Reading:

Eyes and Their Care by Brian Ward, F. Watts, 1990

Body Talk, Sound and Vision by Jenny Bryan, 1993, Dillon Press

Take Care of Your Eyes by Don L. Curry, 2005, Scholastic

– 11 –

Worksheet Answer KeysLesson 1

Lesson 2 Lesson 2 (Alternate Activity)

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Worksheet Answer KeysLesson 3 Lesson 4

Lesson 5

– 13 –