Eye-Larming Statistic  

Did You Know? 

The traditional eye chart only tests distance acuity. That is, the eye's ability to distinguish an object's shape and details clearly at a far distances - usually 20 feet.

Depth perception is the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions and the distance of an object.

EyeSpy 20/20™ screening checks for all of the most prevalent and severe vision disorders impacting children today.

Eye Insights 

VisionQuest 20/20 Board Member Dr. Randy Christensen: A Man with a Mission / Changing Lives on Big Blue

Dr. Randy Christensen sees firsthand young people who don't receive reliable and regular vision screenings.

Christensen is the Medical Director of the Crews'n Healthmobile, a Phoenix Children's Hospital medical outreach program. Affectionately called "Big Blue," Crews'n Healthmobile is a 35-foot recreation vehicle turned rolling clinic that serves homeless and at-risk infants, children, adolescents and young adults in Phoenix and Tempe.

"There is a much higher percentage of vision problems in the kids I see," said Christensen. "They usually don't have insurance; they don't go to the doctor and have routine wellness checks; they change schools often and miss the school vision screenings so the problems don't get identified early and then they get worse and worse."

"Big Blue" provides free medical services including immunizations, examinations, minor surgical procedures, health education, mental health and health risk screening, dental services and vision screenings. Christensen uses EyeSpy 20/20™ for Big Blue's vision screenings.

"We see a number of kids who have been screened inappropriately, if they've been screened at all," remarked Christensen. "Add to that, we have very limited money and resources. If we think a kid has vision problems, we want the screening equipment to work. I want that screening tool to be excellent and that's what EyeSpy 20/20™ is."

EyeSpy 20/20™ technology allows Dr. Christensen to give underserved and under-privileged children another level of safety.

"I'm that safety net; when I screen the kids in the homeless shelters, I get the ones who may have missed the vision screening at school or the doctor's office. We reach the children who have may fallen through the cracks."

A member of the VisionQuest 20/20 Board of Directors, Dr. Christensen is proud to have been involved with the organization since its inception.

"I love working with the whole VisionQuest 20/20 team; they're such a magnificent group of professionals. It's a privilege to be associated with them."

Thank You!

Special thanks to Arizona Community Foundation, St. Lukes Health Initiatives, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, and BHHS Legacy Foundation for their ongoing investment in support of child eye health.

Arizona Gives Days allowed people to demonstrate they too believe that every child deserves to see by investing in us to provide more children state-of-the-art vision screenings.

On behalf of the children we serve, we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports VisionQuest 20/20.

Your help made it possible for VisionQuest 20/20 to serve more children, ensure they have the ability to achieve their full potential, help raise parent awareness of the importance of children's vision health, and save millions of dollars that otherwise would be lost in lifelong productivity, taxpayer support, and medical bills. 

  

What's Wrong with the Traditional Eye Chart? 

When Mary Thomson, Vice President of the BHHS Legacy Foundation contacted VisionQuest 20/20 about a special vision screening project, our Director of Strategic Development, Emily Baldwin-Wu, wanted to help.

BHHS Legacy Foundation, which supports improved healthcare for Arizonans, came to VisionQuest 20/20 with a request from Brophy College Preparatory Academy asking about vision screenings for 65 students in their Loyola Academy program. This program is offered to 6th-8th grade underserved students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a private institution. The school was concerned several students were struggling with their vision.

Baldwin-Wu said she would personally make it happen, indicating, "I wanted to support Brophy's efforts to offer these boys an excellent education by making sure each of them could see, and I wanted to do this in gratitude for BHHS Legacy Foundation's support of VisionQuest 20/20 over the years." 

On an early January morning, Baldwin-Wu and VisionQuest 20/20 Director of Social Media, Monica Hecker, volunteered their own time to proctor the screenings; personally setting up three EyeSpy 20/20™ stations and successfully screening the 65 Loyola students within a couple of hours. 

"Of the several students who were identified with vision deficits, what really stood out for me was that many of them were already wearing glasses," Baldwin-Wu said. "We simply can't assume children can see just because they may have corrective lenses; their prescription may very well have changed. Vision changes annually, so students need to be screened every year whether they already have glasses or not."

Another thing she noted was the boys needed virtually no proctor assistance or instruction.

"They basically self-proctored their own vision screening. The students immediately figured out how to 'play' the matching game and simply followed the instructions on the computer screen. They knew exactly when to use the eye patches for the distance acuity test and the goggles for the depth perception test; all while enjoying the video game. Yet, since it's fully computerized, there is no compromise in test accuracy," said Baldwin-Wu.

In fact, Faustino, a 7th Grader said the EyeSpy 20/20™ treasure hunt video game was "pretty fun."

Another 7th grader, Andy, laughed saying, "I liked it and can't wait to do it again!"

"It was a special day for VisionQuest 20/20. The Loyola Academy boys seemed to know they had been given a special opportunity by receiving computerized vision screenings, and we could just see the appreciation in their faces," said Baldwin-Wu. "Best of all, because Brophy has a physician who has donated follow up care, we have peace of mind that the eight students identified with vision deficits will get the care they need in order to see and succeed in school to their full potential."

Thank you Emily - for your generosity in protecting sight!

KA-POW! Become a Superhero Today.

Bringing accurate vision screenings to schools with EyeSpy 20/20™ is much more than providing schools with a fun and easy to play video game. State-of-the-art vision screenings must also be affordable. We understand parents, teachers and school administrators must manage increasing demands on their time and financial resources.

That's why VisionQuest 20/20 is developing

SeetoSucceed.org.  A resource for advocates to acquire the materials necessary to raise awareness and funds to ensure every child has access to quality vision screenings.  

We need your help! We are seeking 20-30 parents, teachers and school administrators to participate in focus groups to discuss the tools they believe would be most valuable to help bring EyeSpy 20/20 to their school. Please leave your name and contact information here, and we will contact you with focus group dates, times and locations.