Overview:
Ohio schools are required to regularly screen students’ vision, but many of the kids who fail these screenings don’t go on to see an eye doctor. The Ohio Optometric Foundation's iSee program seeks to change that with free in-school examinations. More than 40 students in the Mansfield City Schools district received free eye exams through the program last week.
MANSFIELD — Tracey Needham smiled encouragingly as she gently slid a pair of trial glasses onto the little girl’s face.
“What do you think?” Needham asked.
The girl, a student at Sherman Elementary, turned to look at her reflection in the mirror and grinned.
In two weeks, she and more than 40 other Mansfield City Schools students will receive their own pair of prescription eyeglasses — for free.
Each of the students also received a complimentary eye exam this week, courtesy of the Ohio Optometric Foundation’s iSee program.
The In-School Eye Exam (iSee) program provides comprehensive eye exams and a pair of glasses to students who failed their most recent vision screening but haven’t had a follow-up appointment with an eye doctor. The clinics are conducted by volunteer eye doctors from across Ohio.
Untreated vision problems are associated with a number of issues, from frequent headaches to behavioral issues.
“Most of the tasks teachers present to students are visual — the SmartBoard, computer, books — everything involves how well you can see,” said Needham, an optometrist and volunteer during Wednesday’s iSee clinic.
“If you’re not able to see, you can’t really succeed in the classroom. We’re hoping by helping the kids see better, they’re going to be able to succeed in school and in life.”
Students recommended for a comprehensive eye exam often don’t get one
Ohio law requires schools to provide vision screenings for students in kindergarten, first grade and every alternate year afterward.
If a student fails their vision screening, the school is required to notify the child’s parent or guardian and recommend an eye exam.
These in-school screenings are supposed to be the first step in identifying and treating vision problems in children. But for many, it’s the first and last intervention they receive.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, about 30 percent of students who failed their in-school vision screening went on to get a comprehensive eye exam during the 2017-2018 school year.
That number dropped to just 22.5 percent during the 2018-2019 school year and has continued dropping since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a school nurse, one of Clara Freer’s responsibilities is overseeing annual vision screenings at Sherman Elementary.
“We send home a form that they take to the eye doctor, but we don’t get a lot of those back,” Freer said.
“We get on the phone, call (the parents), see what’s going on. I keep a list of the kids that I know haven’t had follow-ups.”
Freer said she’s not sure why some families don’t act on their child’s referral for an eye exam. It could be because of financial barriers or a lack of transportation. Single parents may not be able to get time off work or childcare for their other children.
That’s why she was so excited to have the iSee program return to Sherman.
Freer first heard about the iSee program at a school nurses’ conference. She invited the group to come for the first time three years ago.
“Three years ago, we had 60 (students) and out of the 60, 59 needed glasses,” Freer recalled.
Comprehensive screenings are more rigorous than in-school screenings
If children get a vision screening at school, why do some need to follow up with an eye exam?
Needham explained that mandatory school vision screenings only test a child’s distance vision. They don’t diagnose other eye health issues or provide children with the prescriptions they need to order glasses or contact lenses.
“With the eye exam, we’re going to check in their eyes. We’re going to check to see whether they have glaucoma. They have a pressure test,” she said.
“We’re going to check their eye muscles, their alignment, their focusing ability. (An iSee exam) is pretty much what you would get if you need to go to the doctor’s office.”
During iSee’s pop up clinic, Mansfield City Schools coordinated to bring students from buildings across the district.
“Some of the kids who have been here today have never been to the eye doctor before and had significant vision issues,” said Steve Dorman, chief operating officer at the Ohio Optometric Association.
Diana Flannigan, the school nurse from Springmill STEM Elementary, waited by the eyeglass table while her students made their way through the various stations.
“They’re having fun trying them on, looking in the mirror and seeing which one looks cool,” she said.
iSee’s traditional clinics take place over two days and include multiple volunteer eye doctors, moving students through various stations with assembly line precision.
Dorman said the Ohio Optometric Foundation usually serves about four school districts each year this way. The foundation added a second, community-based program in 2021 that supports individual eye doctors scheduling clinics at local schools.
“Right now, we’ve had 25 (community-based programs) so far in 2024,” Dorman said. “We’re scaling up because there’s clearly a need everywhere.”
Dorman said iSee has been funded by various grants over the years and received some funding from Ohio’s most recent biennial budget.
“We’re not involved with insurance at all,” Dorman said. “That may have to change someday out of necessity but for now, that’s how we’re doing it.”
Resources to help pay for eye exams
A comprehensive eye exam may cost between $75 and $250 without insurance, according to health insurance provider Humana.
Under the Affordable Care Act, many health insurance plans are required to cover the full cost of vision screenings for children and teens.
Medicaid beneficiaries are eligible for eye exams, according to the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Individuals younger than 21 or older than 60 can receive one exam and eyeglasses every 12 months. Individuals between ages 21 and 59 can get an edam and eyeglasses every 24 months.
The VSP Vision Eyes of Hope program offers vouchers for adults and children in need of eye exams and glasses. To qualify, an individual must:
- Have a household income no greater than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level guidelines
- Have no coverage through a private insurer or government program
- Have not received care through a VSP program during the last 12 months
To apply for a voucher for a student 19 years old or younger, contact a school nurse. Adults can contact Prevent Blindness, member locations of the National Association of Community Health Centers, or UnidosUS.
