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Last fall, a 2nd-grade girl came into our vision clinic at McPolin School during our annual Bright Sight Week. We'd examined hundreds of children, but this little girl made an impression I can't shake.
She had never had an eye exam.
No one had noticed that she couldn't see well until the hero in this story, the school nurse, recognized her need.
Dr. Humpherys, one of our volunteer optometrists, carefully determined the prescription she needed, and I wondered how she had managed for so long without glasses. We ordered her glasses and delivered them to her at school.
Last year, 234 students received prescription glasses through Hope Alliance school programs. One-third of them had never had an eye exam.
After serving thousands of children over the years, we've learned that a pair of glasses is never just a pair of glasses.
It means seeing the board at school, reading with confidence, participating in sports, creating art, connecting with friends, and discovering abilities that were there all along but hidden behind blurry vision.
We host vision clinics in every Park City public school and work to ensure that children who need vision care can access it.
No child should struggle simply because they cannot see clearly.
Not on our watch.
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