Four years ago, my daughter was behind in Kindergarten and falling all the time when we would be walking down the block. We were shocked when we found out that our little girl, who was a month away from turning 5, had a vision problem. One pair of glasses completely changed her world. So when my friends at Visionworks asked me to let you know about their expansion of their Let’s Go See Initiatives (which I’ve written about before, I was happy to do it. Visionworks and Davis Vision kicked off 2017 continuing their work to raise awareness about the importance of annual eye exams for school-aged children by increasing the number of vouchers and glasses they will donate this school year from 10,000 to 15,000. Through their joint initiative, Let’s Go See has already donated more than 8,300 vouchers since the 2016-17 school year started.
“The Let’s Go See program has been instrumental in our efforts to spread awareness of the need for annual eye exams for school-aged children. We feel honored to help families provide eye exams and glasses to their kids, and look forward to continuing our mission,” said Jim Eisen, president and CEO of HVHC Inc., and president of Visionworks.
Between dental checkups, doctor’s exams, and everything else parents do to keep kids healthy, children’s vision often gets overlooked. Many parents wait until their child has expressed an issue with their vision before taking them for an eye exam, but according to Prevent Blindness America, 1 in 4 school-aged children in the United States has a vision problem, which if left untreated can affect learning ability, personality, and adjustments in school.
“The Let’s Go See program was really a blessing,” said Michelle Kessler, mother of a voucher recipient. “Moms should take advantage of this opportunity and get their children’s eyes checked.” Recently the program helped Kessler’s daughter, Rachel, who stated, “Playing the piano makes me happy, but the notes were a little blurry. When I got my glasses, I could read the sheet music better and it’s made me a better piano player.”
In addition to featuring voucher recipients’ testimonials like Rachel’s, the Visionworks Let’s Go See website was recently redesigned to include a variety of enhancements. Visitors can expect to see sleek navigation, an updated eye health FAQs and a video from Think About Your Eyes, which showcases the struggles of living with poor vision.
In 2017, Visionworks will be promoting Let’s Go See through an upcoming partnership with Viacom, to educate the younger audience. Visionworks also announced teaming up with Little League® Baseball and Softball. With two million kids playing in the League, the partnership will reach families across the country.
How you can get involved
Visionworks and Davis Vision are also requesting the public’s help in nominating children and organizations in need. Those interested in nominating can visit letsgosee.net to complete the nomination process. Vouchers are redeemable for a comprehensive eye exam as well as a pair of $69.95 children’s frames with polycarbonate lenses.
Totally agree that getting eyes examined is so important for learning. Donating gently used eye glasses is fantastic too.