Parents who wonder why a child doesn’t seem to be meeting the learning curve of his classmates have the opportunity now through the end of September to find out if vision may be a part of the problem.
Dr. George Leaks, longtime ophthalmologist with a practice at 2120 E. Calvada Blvd., is offering free vision screenings to students entering kindergarten through 12th grade.
He said sometimes a child not doing well in school has trouble seeing any instructional materials or notes posted on a blackboard.
“We see hundreds of kids every year. I don’t have exact numbers, but I’d say about 10 percent of them have vision-related problems that keep them from being able to keep up.”
He said in most cases he finds a problem with farsightedness. “A child’s world is up close. They tend to shy away from the long view.” He also said it’s easier to detect in younger children because they are not shy about telling a parent they can’t read something such as a menu board at McDonald’s.
Overcompensating for a astigmatism becomes obvious when a child is squinting in order to bring the long view into focus. “They can’t continue to compensate. The muscles get tired.”
“These screenings by no means should take the place of an annual eye exam,” Leaks said.
Leaks has a new associate who joined the vision-care facility in July. Asked about the difference between a screening and an exam, Dr. Stacy Washington said, “A screening gives us a snapshot of how someone is seeing. An exam will show how the eyes are working together and identify other eye structure health issues.
Leaks said he’s been sponsoring this eye screening program for students for the past 10 years. “It’s at no cost, but we never seem to have a lot of participation.” He said he’d like to see that change.
Washington said she graduated from the Southern California College of Ophthalmology in 2005 and has spent the past eight years working the Four Corners Indian Reservation in northern Arizona as a primary care/occular disease practitioner.
When she left Arizona, Washington said, “I decided I wanted to move to Las Vegas. So I did and bought a home. “That was before I came to work in Pahrump, so now I commute.”
Washington added, “I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field and decided on ophthalmology in college. It’s wonderful to be able to give the gift of sight. It opens the world to so many people.”
She is 36, and said she has fur babies instead of children and a husband.
“I am an avid reader and a huge football fan.”
Her family is from Louisiana and she her favorite team is the Saints.
“I also love to travel and try new foods. I like to cook and love making Cajun and Creole dishes.”
The ophthalmology office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday and evening hours are available as well. Call 727-8300 for additional information.