Lesson Plans for Eye Care Month

Lasik & Contact Lense Vision Correction Info Teach Kids about Eyes

Mar 15, 2009 Lisa Russell

January is eye care month. Use free resources for teaching kids about laser eye surgery, vision correction and contact lenses with eye and vision care lesson plans.

The American Academy of Opthamology has declared January to be National Eye Care Month. Every January, eye doctors offer special examination incentives, educational brochures and pamphlets are mailed out, billboards are hung and posters fill the walls of public service agencies, in an effort to encourage the public to have their eyes examined regularly. Their goal is to “preserve sight by raising awareness about eye disease and providing access to medical eye care.”

Eye Care Month Lesson Plans

Educational pamphlets can be picked up at a vision care center. The American Academy of Opthamology and Eye Care America offer downloadable lesson plans for eye care month, including statistics of common vision care problems, risk factors and preventative advice. Enchanted Learning and other science websites have line drawings of the human eye that can be used for worksheets for younger students, since most of the other materials are designed for adults.

Laser Eye Surgery for Vision Correction

Lasik eye surgery websites often have discovery-channel style videos that explain how the eye works, what can go wrong and how laser surgery can help. Use a pen-light in a dark room to play a game that helps kids gain an appreciation for the skill and precision of laser surgery. Trace an eye onto a large piece of poster board and see who can follow the outline the best. Take a giant step backward and try again.

Contact Lenses for Vision Correction

Use concave and convex mirrors to discuss the technology behind contact lenses. First made of glass, then a lightweight plastic, contact lens manufacturers provide free sales materials that can be found at the eye doctor's office, or on their websites, that help kids understand how their eyes work and how contact lenses can help solve some vision problems.

Learning to Care for Contact Lenses

Caring for contact lenses is important. Students who are wearing contacts should be reviewing their cleaning and storage technique, since long term damage can occur from wearing lenses that haven't been cared for properly.

Vision Center Field Trip

Schedule a day for your homeschool support group, or even just your family to visit a vision care center. Find an eye doctor, optometrist or opthamologist who is willing to show the children all of his or her machinery, examination tools. Ask him to discuss the relationship between diabetes and vision problems, how nutrition affects vision, and demonstrate eye exercises that can help strengthen the muscles that support the eyes. Stop off at the lab if there is one on site and make sure everyone schedules an eye exam before leaving.

In the name of public education, there are a lot of ways to find free eye care month lesson plans. Use materials designed to teach prospective patients about laser eye surgery, vision correction and contact lenses. They're easy to find at a local vision care center. A field trip to the eye doctor can help students learn how to prevent common vision problems. Eye care month helps many people remember to have their eyes examined regularly. Also in January, National Braille Literacy Month helps kids learn about the plight of the blind and how Braille was developed.

The copyright of the article Lesson Plans for Eye Care Month in Homeschooling is owned by Lisa Russell. Permission to republish Lesson Plans for Eye Care Month in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

National Eye Care Month

Braille Literacy Month is also in January