SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Hundreds of San Diego County Office of Education students are getting free eye exams and glasses this week, through a partnership with VSP Vision Eyes of Hope.
"It's life-changing for them," says Elly Slater, a school nurse at JCCS. "Some of the students are 16, 17, 18 years old and have very strong prescriptions, like 20/80 vision. So they don’t even know what they can’t see until they get that pair of glasses on."
SDCOE and VSP have been doing the free eye clinics since 2014. In that time, they've helped more than 2,500 students get the eye care they need. This is the first year the clinic has been to all four County Office of Education regions (North, South, East and West) in the same week. They anticipate screening more than 270 students this week alone.
"We’re empowering human potential through sight," says VSP Outreach Specialist Clark Jorgensen. "Every time I see a student who’s never had an eye exam put on glasses and understand this is what I’m supposed to see, that really just fills my heart."
In addition to helping them see better, Jorgensen says the glasses help improve academic performance.
"If you have a student in the back of the class that can’t see the blackboard, and the teacher’s asking them a question, they’re not going to feel confident raising their hand." he says. "Immediately, once they get their glasses from this event, they engage more in the classroom."
"Some of our kids have had previous challenges in their lives," adds Slater. "So it’s wonderful to help them in this way, to remove a hurdle or barrier in their life to help them move forward towards achieving goals."
