Getting the word out about CI

I think I have mentioned it before, maybe not, but I learned how to set up Google so that I get emails when anything is pulished to the web that mentions Convergence Insufficiency. It is this neat tool I stumbled on and I don't know if I could go back and figure out how to do it again (probably, I could) but I am so glad I did.

Sometimes I get really good info out of that! Like the other day. Through Slideshare, a slideshow was published, titled "Convergence Insufficiency. What Every Physician Should Know 3.0". You can see it by clicking the title. It is chock full of fabulous information. And although it is really geared towards doctors, it is easy to follow and really does some good explaining about what CI is. It also addresses the need for more physicians to recognize the symptoms for this.

So, I posted this link to my FB page on the morning I found it in my inbox. I got some interesting comments. People that didn't know my son was going through this. A family member who's own son was recently diagonsed (through a school vision test!!!). People asking how we figured it out. People just thanking me for the info.

I am continuously amazed that so few people know what CI is. Yet, if you read the information that is out there you find that it is actually a fairly common problem. There is a big percentage, according to this particular slide show, upwards of 13% of school children, that have this issue. It also quotes a study from 1996 that says 1 in 12 children have Convergence Insufficiency.

How do we get the word out? How many children are being treated (maybe even with medication) for other problems when, in fact, they have CI, and vision therapy could help them? It is a question I continue to ask myself. I post things to FB periodically, just to let my friends know about it. Hoping they will share with their friends, etc... I suppose that has turned into one of the missions of this blog, too. To help get the word out there. Provide information and a story behind the condition. Maybe we will help somebody with their own child or even themselves.