St John's Catholic Primary School students in Mackay will have their eyes on the game following a vision screening visit from North Queensland Toyota Cowboys community partner Westfund Health Insurance today.
Westfund were joined by Cowboys legend Brent Tate and current NRL player Josh Chudleigh to explain the importance of vision screening, with Tate even getting a vision screening himself.
Westfund are a proud community partner of the Cowboys, with the two organisations working closely together to improve the health and wellbeing of regional communities through joint initiatives such as Westfund's school vision screening program, which is provided to students at no cost to parents or participating schools.
“The Cowboys are proud to be involved in valuable programs like this, where the benefits directly benefit some of our youngest supporters and help them achieve their educational goals,” Mr Tate said.
Two classes participated in the screenings, with a total of 34 students receiving vision examinations by two of Westfund Health Care’s optometrists.
The screenings will be the first step in identifying any vision problems that may be an obstacle to learning for the Walkerston students.
According to Westfund Eye Care optometrist Ronald Nguyen, unidentified vision problems can lead to a number of learning and developmental issues.
“Many children do not receive any professional eye care until they become adults,” said Mr Nguyen.
“By then some may have suffered developmental issues due to visual deficit or eye disease.”
As an added bonus, Westfund’s Tooth Fairy also made a visit, with students receiving a dental pack and learning about decay, healthy gums, good foods and bad foods, mouth guards in sport and the importance of regular check-ups.
For more information on the Westfund school vision screening program, visit westfund.com.au.
