Public Citizens for Children and Youth, Wills Eye Hospital, Eagles Youth Partnership, Thomas Jefferson University, Visionworks and the First Hospital Foundation are teaming up to host the fifth annual Give Kids Sight Day.

The event, which will be held April 12, at Wills Eye Hospital, provides free eye exams for uninsured children. Children 18 and under will be examined on a first come, first served basis from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dr. Alex Levin, chief of pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics at Wills Eye Hospital said approximately 22,000 children in Philadelphia fail their school vision screenings on a yearly basis. Of those children, Levin estimates just 5,000 are taken to an eye doctor by a parent for follow up care.

“That means we have thousands of children in the city who if was not for outreach efforts such as Give Kids Sight Day; they would be walking around without any correction for their vision issues. At all levels of the scale, there are kids out there that aren’t getting the care they need,” Levin said.

While the majority of the children seen at previous events were in need of basic eye care and eyeglasses, Levin said they have treated a small percentage of kids that had cataracts and eye diseases requiring ongoing follow up care.

Children from the Philadelphia region who have failed an eye screening at school or have not had their eyes examined in the last year are strongly urged to attend. While the last event drew more than 700 kids, Levin is hopefully that more will turn out this year.

“The key thing is that our doors are open to any child in the Philadelphia area and beyond who needs good eye care,” Levin said.

Participating children will receive comprehensive screening and exam from area eye doctors who are volunteering their time for the event. Visionworks will provide two free pairs of eyeglasses to each child that needs them.

“One of the many challenges uninsured families face is that even if they are able to receive vision care, they cannot afford eyewear for their children who need glasses. Because we believe every child deserves healthy sight, we are proud to partner with these esteemed Philadelphia organizations to help meet this important need in the community,” said Jim Eisen, president of Visionworks.

“We know because of budget cuts, many schools in our area have had to lay off nurses, making it harder for children to have their eyes properly checked at school,” said Colleen McCauley, health director for PCCY. “At Give Kids Sight Day, hundreds of volunteers and health professionals will be on hand to give our children the proper care they deserve, free of charge.”

This year’s event offers families a health fair featuring blood pressure screenings and assistance with applying for health insurance.

Event organizers say that good vision helps children improve their chances of succeeding in the classroom.

“Eighty percent of learning in school is visual. If we can improve a child’s vision we can enhance their learning,” said Eagles Youth Partnership Executive Director Sarah Martinez-Helfman. “Eagles Youth Partnership is proud to be a part of such an amazing volunteer-run day. We’ve been providing vision care to children for the past 18 years through our Eagles Eye Mobile program, but there are so many more children who need the care. Give Kids Sight Day is for them.”

Registration, screening and selecting glasses can take several hours. Families are encouraged to plan accordingly for food, transportation and parking. Due to a donation from Visionworks, every child participating in the event will receive two free SEPTA tokens.

Registration for the event will be held at the Hamilton Building at Thomas Jefferson University, 10th and Locust streets. Several language interpreters will be on hand to assist families.

For information call (215) 563-5848 ext. 21 or visit www.childrenfirstpa.org/sightday.

Philadelphia Tribune – April 7, 2014 – Leer artículo en línea