HEALTH 2008 EYE TESTING AT LINWOOD COLLEGE

"After childhood individuals eyes do not improve with age, so for an adolescent, just reaching the normal adult standard, or any loss of vision, is significant and warrants attention." LANE big.doc p 209.

Eye testing for all year nine students (229) and all new year ten students (40) at Linwood College started on 3^rd March 2008 in the school assembly hall.

Two registered nurses from the Centre for Post Graduate Nursing Studies, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Services, University of Otago, who were specifically trained in conducing eye assessments were employed to test the students' eyes. These were the same nurses who have done this for the past two years, hence consistency. Two Linwood Support staff employed by LANE organised the testing area and getting students there on time.  Temporary wooden partitions were set up on one side of the hall.  Lights were set up to illuminate the eye test charts used by the testers.

Students were brought in groups of four from their classes. One staff member fetched the students while the other checked their names off a roll.  The partitions gave privacy (to stop waiting students getting an early look at the test). Each student filled in his or her own name on an assessment sheet before proceeding to the actual test.

The tests took around five minutes each, (depending on how many problems each student had), so that each tester saw around 9 to 12 students per hour. Testing started on Monday 3^rd March, running for three full days in a row. Those students not tested on those days were tested on Wednesday 12^th March and on Wednesday 19^th March 2008.