NOTE: Below is a reprint of an article at ctvcalgary.ca which profiles a young patient of Dr. Monea.

Optometrists in Alberta are taking part in an initiative to bring attention to the importance of eye health and are focusing on children in kindergarten.

Poor eye sight can contribute to poor grades and make it tough on a child when they enter the school system.

The Alberta Association of Optometrists is aiming to change that through the Eye See… Eye Learn (ESEL) program.

The program is funded by Alberta Education to ensure that kids are not prohibited from reaching their maximum learning potential because they can’t see.

“Why wouldn’t you, in terms of development of children, get your child’s eyes examined because remember many careers are based on whether you can see or not,” said Dr. Diana Monea, Optometrist.

Jasmine Walia is just four and a half and started kindergarten this year.

Jasmine was doing alright in school until her teacher moved her to the back of the class.

That’s when she started to complain about not being able to see the board at the front of the class.

Jasmine’s mother heard about the ESEL program and decided to take advantage of it.

AHS covers eye exams in children under 18 but parents are on the hook if they need glasses.

The ESEL program offers a free pair of glasses to kindergarten children, from participating school divisions, who need them.

Eye doctors say an early eye exam can prevent learning difficulties for many students and Jasmine’s mom says she’s seeing a difference in her daughter already.

“She’s clearly writing in those three lines like pearls in a necklace. So beautiful, and she told me she’s very happy after getting the glasses,” said Raj Walia.

About a third of the approximately 50,000 kindergarten students in the province took advantage of the ESEL program last year and 1600 of those received new glasses.

For more information on the program, visit the Alberta Association of Optometrists website.

Original article appears at ctvcalgary.ca