DeKalb County Schools Providing Vision Wear for Needy Students

From the School district:

DeKalb County Schools are aiming to help those in need get proper vision wear. The school district is teaming up with OneSight, a family of vision care charities dedicated to providing healthy vision and eyewear to those in need, which is offering 600 pre-screened DeKalb County School System students free full eye exams and new eyewear. Last fall, approximately 700 students were screened during the weeklong vision Clinic.

“Ensuring student success inside and outside of the classroom is at the heart of everything we do and we are happy to work with community partners such as OneSight to help us further that mission,” said DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, in a press release.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), up to 94 percent of children with reading problems have reduced visual skill. Participating students were pre-screened using school health personnel and previous medical documentation.

“The School System routinely conducts mass vision screenings for grades thre and five,” said Frances Patterson, Lead Nurse, DeKalb Schools Student Health Services. “The vast majority of these referrals for OneSight services resulted from these screenings, especially where families were unable to respond with corrective measures due to limited resources.”

“Poor vision impedes a child’s ability to learn often times leading to
many challenges in school. OneSight provides important opportunities that help children succeed in school and, ultimately, in life,” said Leona Dockery, OneSight Clinic Manager. Seeing a child’s face light up because they can see clearly for the first time is something I cherish during each Clinic.”

A team of about 60 volunteers makes this effort possible and includes local doctors, community partners and employees from Luxottica-affiliated brands including LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical.