The majority of first graders in at least three school districts in Southern California who need eyeglasses do not have them, according to an article in the November issue of Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

The study, which is co-authored by UCLA professors, including Center Director E. Richard Brown, reviewed examinations by the university's Mobile Eye Clinic of approximately 11,300 first-graders over a seven-year period. Ninety-five percent of children with decreased visual acuity lacked eyeglasses that would have helped them attain normal vision. The lack of eyeglasses was more common in boys and African American and Latino children compared with girls and white children. The authors recommend interventions to correct vision impairment in first-grade students, particularly because first grade is a period of critical academic development.