Rep. Sykes Announces Nearly $400,000 in Federal Funding for Akron Children’s Hospital

Rep. Sykes Announces Nearly $400,000 in Federal Funding for Akron Children's Hospital

AKRON, Ohio- U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) announced that the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes for Health, awarded Akron Children's Hospital $393,175 in federal funding. This funding will support programs providing vision screening for young children during their annual well child visits.

"I am proud to have helped secure this federal funding to better the lives of children in Ohio's 13th Congressional District. It is one of my top priorities to ensure Ohioans are healthy and safe, and have access to quality, affordable health care. That starts with ensuring our doctors and hospitals have the tools necessary to care for our children, so they can be set up for a lifetime of success," said Rep. Sykes.

The program was launched in 2021 with $100,000 in funding from Akron Children's Women's Board to purchase handheld vision screeners that quickly and effectively catch the need for eyeglasses or conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye) that can be treated if caught early.

"We're catching vision problems earlier than ever before," said Dr. Eugenie Hartmann, principal investigator for the research and a pediatric vision specialist at Akron Children's. "That means kids are getting the help they need before it starts to impact school or social development."

Since launching the vision screening program, the hospital has screened tens of thousands of preschool-aged children for eye problems that, if left untreated, could affect their learning, development, and quality of life. Today, more than 85% of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds seen for routine checkups at Akron Children's receive the quick vision screening using a handheld photo screener.

Each month, more than 2,000 children in this age group come to the 46 Akron Children's pediatric primary care offices throughout the region for well child visits. The photo screener doesn't require kids to read letters or symbols. Instead, it works like a camera, measuring how well their eyes focus. If the results suggest a possible issue, families are referred to one of the hospital's Vision Centers locations for a full eye exam. So far, about one in 10 children screened have been referred for further evaluation, and many have received glasses or other treatments to correct vision problems.

Akron Children's is also using the data to better understand how children's vision changes over time. With more than 10,000 kids having had multiple screenings, the hospital is building one of the largest longitudinal databases on early childhood vision development.