Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) Vision Services and
the Duval County Council of PTAs, in partnership with the Luxottica Group
Foundation, provided free eye exams and glasses to more than 120 Duval
County students when the Give the Gift of Sight Vision Van visited Parkwood
Heights Elementary School on December 3rd and 4th.
Students from
several Duval County schools, including Parkwood Heights Elementary, Don
Brewer Elementary, Merrill Road Elementary, Gregory Drive Elementary and
Arlington Middle School, participated in the mobile vision screenings. The
students, who were screened and referred through DCPS Vision Services
beforehand, received a complete follow-up eye examination and, if needed, a
pair of eyeglasses. Glasses were made on the spot, and students were able to
wear their new glasses when they returned to school that day.
"If children can't see
well, they can't learn as well," said DCPS Student Services Vision Clinician
Dot Mathias. According to Mathias, Duval County is the only county in the
state that has a system-wide coordinated vision program that is community
based, meaning that the community and the school system work together to
improve the vision of its students. Last year, Vision Services was able to
screen nearly 70,000 Duval County students.
Give the Gift of Sight is supported by the Luxottica Group Foundation. Its
mission is to deliver free vision care and eyewear to underprivileged
individuals in North America and in developing countries around the world.
Millions of pairs of used eyewear are collected in the Luxottica Group's
retail stores, such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target
Optical.
