WASHINGTON—The American Optometric Association ( AOA), with support from Hoya Vision Care, will host a national conference called the “School Readiness Summit–Focus on Vision” here on April 11 to 12, 2011, the organization said.

Patterned after the White House Conference on Aging and similar national policy meetings, the goal of the summit is to “to ensure all children in the country enter school with vision adequate to meet the demands of the academic environment,” the AOA said, and to “encourage a partnership of government and private-sector entities around cohesive strategies to provide a continuum of eye and vision care for the nation’s preschool children,” according to AOA president-elect Dori Carlson, OD.

Carlson formally announced the summit during the AOA House of Delegates last month saying, “Millions of children are not receiving essential eyecare services, which can prevent eye disease, developmental delays, school and social achievement problems.” She added, “Given that most childhood vision problems can be prevented through early detection, follow up and treatment, it is essential that the building of a comprehensive child vision care system as part of the public health system at the local, state and federal levels become a top priority.” The summit is intended “to develop a broad coalition to improve the readiness and success of children in school,” Carlson said.

“The goal is to raise awareness of the link between vision and learning and the importance of comprehensive eye exams for children prior to entering school, which prepares children to be successful in school,” an AOA spokesperson told VMail.

The planning committee for the School Readiness Summit consists of the AOA, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the Vision Council, National Commission on Vision and Health, U.S. Department of Education, National Association of School Nurses, American Speech Language and Hearing Association and the National Head Start Association. Carlson added that numerous agencies and organizations will be invited to participate in the summit. “It is our goal that each participating organization will leave with a specific measurable goal and implementation strategy that will promote good vision performance in children prior to entering school,” she said.

The summit—which is being organized by the AOA Professional Relations Committee under chair Jacqueline M. Bowen, OD—will center largely on ensuring American preschool children have their eyes examined in their first year of life, again at 3 years of age, prior to entering school and again as recommended by their optometrist. Alternative examination schedules may be recommended by the examining practitioner for children found with, or at risk for, specific eye conditions. Organizers hope it will be the first in a series of annual summits on school readiness with a different theme each year, the AOA’s statement said.