By Meghan Lynch and Ann Holister
Uncorrected vision conditions are among the biggest public health problems in the United States, affecting 1 in every 4 children, according to the American Optometric Association. Only 39 percent of students referred for an eye exam through a routine vision screening visit an eye doctor, and the gap is even larger in high-poverty communities.… more

By Levar Stoney and Austin Beutner
Much has been written about poverty in America. But what if you learned one in five kids in public schools lack the glasses they need to see the board, read a book, or participate in class? What chance does that child have to succeed in school, let alone break free from poverty?

That’s why in Richmond we have put together an important public/private non-profit partnership to provide glasses to thousands of students who need them to overcome hurdles to learning and succeed in school and in life.… more

By Robert Garcia, Mayor of the City of Long Beach, California
Elementary school was a challenging time for me. I immigrated to this country when I was 5 years old and started school in a new country. I was learning a new language while my family was struggling financially.
I quickly learned that I was having a hard time in school — not because I wasn’t trying, but because I couldn’t see the chalkboard. Glasses and eye exams were a luxury we couldn’t afford. After a few years, I got my first pair. And what a difference that made in my learning and my ability to succeed in and outside the classroom.
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By Haley Barbour and Gayle Wicker
Mississippi is the proud birthplace of many American literary giants from William Faulkner and Eudora Welty to Natasha Trethewey. The state’s public schools are helping nurture the next generation of great minds. Every morning when students go to school, they carry important supplies in their backpack – books, pencils, notepads. But, unfortunately, as many as 50,000 children in Mississippi go to school without something simple that is critical to their success– a pair of glasses.… more

By Mike Duggan and Austin Beutner
A new kind of vehicle can be found on the streets of the Motor City, and it’s helping kids succeed. Since last fall, Vision To Learn’s mobile vision clinics have been visiting schools to provide eye exams and glasses to students, free of charge. The City of Detroit is working with the nonprofit organization to solve a problem of which most are unaware: many children are unable to see the board, read a book or complete their homework because they lack a pair of glasses.… more