Bay Path Hosts Event on Preventing Childhood Blindness
Longmeadow, MA— A young child does not know how they should see and cannot tell us about their vision. Blurry vision creates no emergency and does not hurt – it continues silently. One in ten preschoolers and one in four school-aged children have a vision disorder, and left undetected and untreated, all aspects of a child’s physical, emotional, social and behavioral development can be impacted.
Join Dr. Kristen Kerber as she discusses childhood vision, how to be a “vision champion”, and new research that underlines the connection between childhood vision and learning. The program is suitable for all graduate students and teachers of elementary, preschool and early education, early intervention, reading specialists, nursing, medical assistants, occupational therapy, psychology and social work; and interested parents / caregivers. Handouts will be available.
This free event, co-sponsored by Children’s Vision of Massachusetts and Bay Path University, will be held on September 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Bay Path’s Concord campus, 521 Virginia Road, Concord, MA. For more information, please visit baypath.edu/events.
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About Bay Path University
Bay Path University was founded in 1897. With locations in Longmeadow (main), East Longmeadow (Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center), Springfield (MA), Sturbridge (MA), and Concord (MA), Bay Path’s innovative program offerings include traditional undergraduate degrees for women, The American Women's College on-ground and online, the first all-women, all-online accredited bachelor’s degree programs in the country; over 30 graduate programs for women and men, including doctoral degrees; and Strategic Alliances, offering professional development courses for individuals and organizations. Bay Path’s goal is to give students confidence in the fundamentals of their chosen field, the curiosity to question the ordinary, the leadership to show initiative, and the desire to make a difference.
About Dr. Kristen Kerber
Dr. Kristen Kerber is a Pediatric Eye Doctor and faculty member of the New England College of Optometry (NECO). She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from Furman University (Greenville, SC) in 2012, and received both a Master’s of Science in Vision Science and Doctor of Optometry from NECO in 2016. She completed the NECO Pediatric Residency program in 2017 earning the Terrance N. Ingraham Pediatric Optometry Residency Award.
Dr. Kerber is a faculty instructor in the Development, Strabismus and Amblyopia Course as well as the Pediatric Optometry Course. She is an attending optometrist at the Dimock Community Health Center, Boston, and works with first-year NECO students at local Boston schools and Head Start Programs in the Pediatric Outreach Screening Program.
Dr. Kerber is a member of Children’s Vision Massachusetts (CVMA) Coalition. CVMA is a 70-person coalition representing optometry, ophthalmology, nursing, pediatrics, public health, education, and families, who work together to promote an aligned mission - that every child has the opportunity to develop and maintain their best possible vision.