New Law Allows Vision To Learn To Help South Carolina Kids For Years To Come

Vision To Learn will be able to help kids throughout South Carolina for years to come, thanks to new legislation signed by Governor Henry McMaster.

Long-standing law in South Carolina only allowed mobile optometric care to be provided at a licensed health facility, which meant Vision To Learn’s model of providing eye exams to students at school campuses was not permitted. Last year South Carolina’s budget authorized a Vision To Learn pilot program to operate during the 2021-2022 school year. The new legislation, House Bill 4387, creates an ongoing ability for charitable programs to help every child in need at Title I schools in South Carolina.

“This new legislation will help us to make sure every child in South Carolina has the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life”, said Austin Beutner, Founder and Chairman of Vision to Learn.

Vision To Learn launched in South Carolina in September 2021. An estimated 120,000 students in South Carolina lack the glasses they need. Last year’s budget provided Vision To Learn the opportunity to demonstrate the need for school-based vision services, and show how its program could address the issue. The pilot was a success, having helped over 1,800 kids to-date in fifteen CCSD schools. South Carolina leaders including U.S. Senator Tim Scott and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg visited schools to see the program in operation and voiced their support. Vision To Learn’s program is affiliated with MUSC Health, which provided capital funding for the mobile vision clinic.