Foundation offers kids a clear vision

PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) - Dozens of children at Copperfield Elementary school can see clearly after picking out a new pair of glasses. The Essilor Vision Foundation runs a project called to Kids Vision to help children gain 20/20 eyesight, which they hope will also lead to better learning and life goals.

About 80 percent of what children learn is acquired through their eyes. And when they can’t see properly, they’re more likely to drop out of school and face lifelong struggles with reading and low self-esteem, according to the Essilor Vision Foundation .

A teacher at Copperfield Elementary school was almost moved to tears when a little boy was fitted with glasses for the first time today, “It’s very exciting, I know he’s been needing glasses for quite some time and I know it’s going to help him,” Norma Galindo-Day said.

The boy is one of about 200 kids who were screened for a free pair of glasses at the school. Under the Kids Vision project, doctors check the health of children’s eyes to determine what type of prescription they need and then make the glasses at their lab on wheels, which sat in the school parking lot.

Volunteers like Mike Sawyer say the end result is worth all of the effort, “There are a few children that when they get their glasses for the first time there eyes go wide and they are just in awe. It's like an amusement ride almost and it's really awarding to me.”

The Essilor Vision Foundation says about half of children who get a note sent home never see a doctor and those that do take an average of three to four years to get glasses, which costs children valuable education time.

“If vision is an issue in education, these kids aren't going to enjoy school… they are going to act out in class to amass the fact that they can't see the white board and can't study,” says Ed Fjordbak, President of the Essilor Vision Foundation. He says once these kids have their own pair of glasses in hand, the possibilities are endless.

Norma Galindo-Day says her young student will now be able to do so much more, “He'll be able to see better, he'll be able to walk better, climb better and I know he's going to be able to pay more attention because he can actually see now."

The Kid Vision project will be at Reilly Elementary and Campbell Elementary in Austin on Friday.