StemCell Therapy

Chrissy Suttles| csuttles@timesonline.com

AMBRIDGE Mindy Reynolds niece, Andy, will be learning remotely this fall as COVID-19 concerns remain high in her family and throughout the region.

One of her first thoughts while registering Andy for online learning was possible vision strain. Her prescription lenses are several years old, and more screen time could further hurt her eyesight.

An estimated 30,000 children in southwestern Pennsylvania lack access to proper vision care, according to the nonprofit Vision to Learn. The organization provides free eye exams and glasses to kids in high-need communities via a mobile clinic.

On Wednesday, the group stopped at Good Samaritan Catholic Church in Ambridge to give 18 youngsters in Beaver County new glasses ahead of the school year.

Shes so excited, Reynolds said. Things have been rough for a lot of families lately, so this is one easy win.

Vision to Learn has served about 280,000 kids nationwide since 2012, and about 5,000 in the Pittsburgh region since launching locally two years ago.

Wednesdays visit was their first stop in Beaver County, although the group will be partnering with Aliquippa schools this year to serve even more students; Vision to Learn partners with more than 20 school districts in the region.

Mobile clinics are equipped with self-contained optometric exam lanes with licensed optometrists. If students glasses are lost or broken, Vision to Learn replaces them for free within a year.

Its amazing to see a kid who is able to see clearly for the first time, said Vision to Learn program director Mark Scaramuzzi. For a lot of kids, they don't know they cant see. They don't know their vision is poor because its the way they've always seen. Its incredibly rewarding.

In western Pennsylvania, transportation is a significant barrier to families receiving proper care, he said, alongside low income and lack of insurance. Local staff members have traveled from New Castle to Washington, and everywhere in between, to help as many local families as possible.

We see kids on a daily basis, and sometimes its been multiple years since their glasses were broken and not replaced, Scaramuzzi said. You see kids who, in a lot of cases, have never had glasses and have very poor eyesight.

Since the start of COVID-19, staff has modified protocols to ensure social distancing. Only one child at a time can be seen at the clinic, and stations are thoroughly cleaned between each patient.

But summertime allows the group to see a greater variety of children before returning to schools in the fall.

If you cant see, you cant learn, Scaramuzzi said. And, particularly, in light of all the issues going on with COVID, were seeing more demand than ever.

Originally posted here:
Vision to Learn helps Beaver County students see for free - The Times

This entry was posted on August 13, 2020 at 7:52 pm and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |