PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) – The Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program has helped thousands of children see clearly. The Miami-based nonprofit brings optometrists to schools across the state, providing free eye exams for children from low- income families.
“About 1 in 4 students have an undiagnosed vision problem that could be affecting their vision, their learning, their behavior,” said Dr. Whitney Shuart with the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program. “So obviously if you get a correct pair of glasses in front of their eyes and these children can see, it makes learning a lot easier for them.
This week, the program came to Escambia County, for the first time. Dr. Whitney Shuart and her team visited seven schools including R.C. Lipscomb Elementary. They screened 30-40 students at each school. Most needed glasses…