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DR. CYERT, right, Pediatric Clinic Chief at the Northeastern State University College of Optometry, and Linda Cheatham, left, Vision in Preschoolers Study project coordinator, trains Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit staff on the Random Dot E Screening, which is a part of the VIP Study.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Pre-school aged children participating in the Cherokee Nation Head Start Program will have access to advanced eye testing thanks to a partnership between the Cherokee Nation and a research study conducted by a doctor at Northeastern State University’s College of Optometry.

Cherokee Nation employees have been trained to conduct a test that checks how well a child’s two eyes work together. The screening is a part of a study, funded by the National Eye Institute, to determine if there are vision screening tests that can reliably predict those three and four year olds who would benefit from a comprehensive vision exam.

"Vision problems are the most common disability in preschool children", said Dr. Lynn Cyert, clinical director for Northeastern State University College of Optometry. “If left untreated, vision problems can affect the child’s basic ability to learn in school. If detected at the preschool age, a vision disorder is easier to correct and may have less impact on the child’s ability to learn."

Dr. Cyert helped train Cherokee Nation staff to conduct initial vision screening for the children enrolled in the Head Start program during August and September.

"Any child that fails the initial vision screening will be given the opportunity to take part in the Vision in Preschoolers Study", said Lynn Davis, monitoring specialist for the Cherokee Nation.

The VIP study will provide a mobile unit that will transport the doctors to the Cherokee Nation Head Start centers for more comprehensive eye exams.

"One of the advantages to the children involved in the study is that a mobile unit will travel to Head Start centers to do follow-up exams instead of the children having to leave the center", Davis said.

The mobile unit team will consist of licensed optometrists that will perform vision exams on the children. The mobile unit will travel from center to center five days a week from 9 a.m. to noon.

These clinics sponsored by NSU are located in Jay, Sallisaw, Stilwell, and Salina, and at Hastings Hospital and the NSU College of Optometry in Tahlequah.

"We are proud to be a part of the Vision in Preschoolers Study", said Verna Thompson, director of Cherokee Nation’s Early Childhood Unit. "We are proud to have someone like Dr. Cyert, who cares for the health of our Head Start children."

Dr. Cyert, an advocate for Head Start, has served more than 18 years on the Health Advisory Board of Cherokee Nation’s Early Childhood Unit.

"Dr. Cyert is dedicated to ensuring adequate vision services are provided to preschool children", Thompson said. "She has provided assistance to the Head Start program in the form of visual screening, vision exams and training Cherokee Nation staff."

Cyert and Linda Cheatham, a VIP project coordinator, trained Helen Panther, Wanda Crittenden, Lynn Davis, Valerie Patterson and Mary Reynolds of the Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit. They received certificates for taking and completing the training.

"The VIP Study is funded for the next five years", said Dr. Cyert. "During this time, we plan to screen 10,000 Head Start children nationwide."

For more information about the VIP Study, contact the Pediatric Clinic at NSU College of Optometry. The phone number is 918-456-5511 (ext. 4060) or send an e-mail to: cheathal@nsuok.edu

For more information on Cherokee Nation Head Start, call 918-458-4393.