Community Chat

[naturalfan]

The polio thread got me thinking - did you get vision and hearing tests in elementary school?  I know I did and I went to a Catholic school in Chicago but I think all schools (public and private) participated.  I don't remember if they were done every year or just in certain grades.  Do you remember getting vision and hearing tests while in school?  The testers came to the school and guess we went to the gym or auditorium to take the test.  Wonder how they were funded?

[ChynnaBlue]

No, I got them in the doctor's office every year with my annual physical.

[Pqfan]

We got hearing and vision  test at school. We also got weighed in front of each other! I am still considering a class action lawsuit over that! LOL!

[NickNack1]

I don't remember vision and hearing tests in school, but I might have just forgotten.  I do remember getting weighed in front of everyone.  How embarassing!  I hope they don't do that anymore.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Yes.  I attended Chicago Public Schools from Kindergarten thru 6th grade.  I remember getting them, but am a little fuzzy on the process...if we went to a special room, or if the teacher just did it. 

They were still doing them in our local preschools and elementary schools here in NW Indiana.  That was the first clue that one of our children has a hearing problem.  I don't remember having it myself, but the schools here test kids for scoliosis too.

[Bird mama]

I went to Catholic school and I vaguely remember a low tech eye exam.  The only eye exam I remember vividly (and I am going on 53 - lol), is my first eye exam with an opthalmologist.  I was in kindergarten and I had to leave my Halloween Party.  I don't know if the age of 5 was the benchmark for my parents to see a real eye doctor or what.  Maybe it was because my older sister needed glasses - I didn't need glasses. 

All I know is I was having a great time and then off to the eye doctor.  My Dad and the eye doctor had to hold me down to get drops in my eyes (rofl).  I was small but feisty.

[Stray]

Yes, and I still did them as a Public Health nurse in the 80s on first and fifth graders. When I was a child, we also were inspected for lice with the wood light (purple); I went to public school in NJ

[anniebethsmom]

I was the school nurse for our public school district for 25 years.  We did hearing and vision screening alternating years K-6 through the local Health Department- vision even years, hearing odd.  All children are weighed at the beginning of the school year.  My office always encouraged modesty when doing so.  If individual teachers couldn't get it done within the first month, i would discreetly take small groups to my office to weigh them privately.  This was a mandate from the state.

[sunshine45]

dont ever remember getting weighed in elementary school, but i do remember hearing and vision tests AND the sugar cube polio vaccine. i dont believe they were every year though.....maybe every other year?

if there were any problems noticed they would send some papers home so that the parents could follow up with the pediatrician.

i also remember "the talk" with videos and transparencies in the 6th grade. they separated the boys and the girls and the parents had to give permission in order for you to be there listening. i remember coming home one day after the presentations were done and i had an entire kit waiting for me at home for when "that time of the month" finally came.

[Burnsite]

I remember a hearing test in 7th grade, but not eye tests in school.  "Lazy eye," where the eyes aren't well coordinated and the vision can differ greatly, runs in my family.  It used to be treated with an eye patch over the dominant eye so the weak one would work better. 

The patch was itchy and made my eye sweat, but I was pretty good about wearing it. With glasses on top of the eye patch. I was not a popular choice when schoolmates were picking kids for their team. 

Fortunately, I was brilliant at jumping rope, marbles, jacks and hula hooping.  No sport that required distance perception, though.  Hopeless at tennis.