asked the Minister for Health if he will take the steps necessary to ensure that the charts used for eyesight testing in school clinics are in Irish as well as in English; or if he will make arrangements with the Department of Education to have the infant classes instructed in, and made familiar with, the letters of the English alphabet so that faulty vision will not be confused with ignorance of the letters displayed on the sight-testing charts at present in use in school clinics.
Questions— Oral Answers. - Sight Testing in School Clinics.
I am not aware that difficulties have arisen under the procedure adopted for the testing of children's eyesight under the school health examination scheme. Practice varies in regard to the use of charts with Irish or English letters but many health authorities use both. Charts with numerals or pictures are available for use, in addition to charts with letters, and doubtful cases are specially refracted by ophthalmic surgeons.
If the Deputy is aware of difficulties that have arisen in the case of particular schools, I shall have the matter fully examined if she will supply me with the details.
My information is based on three cases only, but I would ask the Minister to make an exhaustive examination of the matter because it is a fact that infants, who are being taught only Irish, are being tested for eyesight in English. In two of the cases that I know of, the children had a slight cast in one eye and the ophthalmic surgeon could not understand why it had not been discovered.
Is that not a very good speech from the Deputy?
I am sorry, Sir, that I have departed from my usual meticulousness in such matters but this is a rather serious matter, particularly coming to the holiday period when parents have to avail of the clinics to have their children's eyesight tested. In the clinics, there are no Irish sight-testing charts and the parents would prefer to have their children tested in the schools.
If children are taught in Irish, it seems stupid to use charts with English letters for the testing of their eyes. The Minister has invited the Deputy to furnish him with details of any instance where such is the case and he will take steps to have the situation remedied, if such is the case.