Is access to vision care really a problem in the U.S.?
Yes, vision care is still a real problem in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vision impairment is one of the most prevalent disabling conditions among children in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Vision Health Initiative) Yet nearly a quarter of parents do not pursue full vision exams for their children due to a lack of financial resources (The National Health Commission on Vision & Health).
How much money do I need to donate to cover the cost of an eye exam and glasses?
A $50 donation to Essilor Vision Foundation provides a child with a vision exam and glasses. Every dollar donated as part of the “One Million Magic Moments” campaign helps a child experience his or her own magic moments with clear vision, and 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to providing vision services to someone in need.
Can my children or I receive a free pair of glasses?
Essilor Vision Foundation works with eye care professionals and non-profit organizations to distribute glasses to people in need. At this time, we do not directly provide glasses to individuals. We recommend that you ask your insurance provider or see if you qualify for Medicaid, [link to: https://www.allaboutvision.com/vision-insurance/medicare-medicaid-3.htm; new tab] as typically eye exams, frames and lenses for children under 21 are covered by the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment program.
Can EVF come to my kid’s school to provide eye exams?
We encourage schools to continue to provide vision screenings for their students, and to partner with a local vision non-profit organizations or eye doctors for assistance with children who have failed their vision screenings. If you can secure a local non-profit or eye doctor willing to donate eye exams, the eye doctor/non-profit can participate in our
Changing Lives Through Lenses program, which provides no-cost eyeglasses for underserved individuals.
What does “One Million Magic Moments” mean?
Every time a child receives a pair of eyeglasses, magic happens. That child can now see the world clearly for the first time, experiencing life-changing, magic moments. Glasses provide magic moments throughout a child’s life such as seeing the board in school, catching a ball, or even seeing a loved one’s smile – moments we take for granted every day. “One Million Magic Moments” celebrates the magic moments experienced by children across the United States who can now proudly say “I am one in a million.”
Does EVF have resources for parents?
We recommend the following websites which provide extensive information for parents:
Of course, your best source for information is your eye doctor. If you don’t currently have an eye doctor, All About Vision also has a tool you can use to find an eye doctor one near you.
How was EVF able to distribute so many pairs of glasses?
Tackling the vision crisis is a big job and we can’t do it alone. Our partners around the country support our efforts every day.
- Non-profits: We partner with more than 140 charities across the country that support the mission of providing vision care. Essilor Vision Foundation provides resources such as:
- Lens and lab services to save these non-profits money while helping families get glasses.
- Equipment and training to our non-profit partners to help grow vision programs across the United States.
- Schools: We work with schools to:
- Bring awareness to the importance of good vision through educational programs for students, parents, and teachers.
- Provide lens and lab services for school-based health clinics.
- “Your Amazing Eyes” program with Scholastic: This elementary school program:
- Creates awareness of the importance of eye health and good vision for children.
- Helps students, teachers and parents learn about eye health and the symptoms of vision problems.
- Encourages parents and teachers to stay up-to-date on their children’s annual vision exams.
- Eye doctors: We support eye care professionals who are advocates for vision in their communities by:
- Providing them with no-cost lenses and lab services for patients in need.
- Offering a complete marketing kit to inspire parents, patients and eye doctors’ staffs to adopt the cause of vision.
- Giving them an opportunity to raise awareness and funds with patients in their office.
- Kids Vision for Life: We bring vision care directly to kids by visiting their schools and vision fests in our mobile clinics. This program also:
- Provides no-cost vision services to low-income children.
- Makes vision care accessible and affordable by going to schools and providing no-cost vision care on the spot.
Does EVF have resources for teachers or schools?
“Your Amazing Eyes” is a program developed in partnership with Scholastic that:
- Creates awareness of the importance of eye health and good vision for children.
- Helps students, teachers and parents learn about eye health and the symptoms of vision problems.
- Encourages parents and teachers to stay up-to-date on their children’s annual vision exams.
Teachers and schools can refer parents to the All About Vision eye care professional locator if they don’t have a family eye doctor.
What’s the best way for an eye care professional to partner with EVF?
Our partners in the optical industry can help educate parents and their communities about the recommended
eye exam frequency for children and adults. Eye care professionals also can participate in three Essilor Vision Foundation programs to help ODs provide vision resources.
- See Kids Soar™ In-Office Cause Campaign: The in-office donation campaign is intended to inspire parents, patients and eye doctors’ staff to adopt the cause of vision, and give them an opportunity to raise awareness and funds.
- Eye doctors receive a cause marketing kit with materials to promote the cause of vision, resources to fundraise for the cause, and marketing materials to help them promote their charitable efforts.
- 90% of every dollar raised through the in-office campaign supports critical vision initiatives. Donations go directly to helping fund local programs providing vision exams and glasses for children in need, as well as educating the general public on the importance of eye health care for children.
- Changing Life through Lenses™: The Changing Life through Lenses™ program supports eye doctors and non-profits providing philanthropic vision services across the United States to patients who are at or below the poverty level and do not have insurance for the pair of glasses they receive through the program.
- The site offers real-time account creation, ordering of eyeglasses and frames, referral tracking, and educational resources on how to engage in the community.
- Without charitable eye doctors and non-profits, millions of children around the country would be unable to see the world clearly.
- Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation’s Healthy Eyes Healthy Children Community Grants Program: Essilor Vision Foundation partners with Optometry Cares-The AOA Foundation’s Healthy Eyes Healthy Children Community Grants program.
- The program offers grants of up to $5,000 to optometrists who focus on collaborative efforts to spread awareness and increase vision services within their community.
- In 2018, 15 grants were awarded to optometrists in 11 states for a total of $65,500.
Is access to vision care really a problem in the U.S.?
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