CLEVELAND — During a visit to Cleveland on Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state health officials announced the launch of a new program aimed at expanding access to eye exams and eyeglasses for young students in some of Ohio’s highest-need counties.
The program, called OhioSEE, will provide comprehensive eye exams and eyeglasses at no cost to kindergarten through third-grade students in 15 pilot counties. Services will be delivered directly in schools, addressing gaps identified by the Ohio Department of Health that show most children who fail vision screenings do not receive follow-up care.
“All the children who have been identified as needing an eye exam will have the opportunity to get an eye exam right there in school,” DeWine explained. “Then if it’s determined they do in fact need glasses, the vendor will come back in three weeks or four weeks and actually fit the children.”
The announcement was made at Campus International School, where several students received fitted eyeglasses through Vision To Learn, one of the program’s vendors.
“What we are doing with OhioSEE is life-changing for these students,” DeWine added. “This is just the beginning.”
DeWine first announced the program in September. According to the health department, about 80% of children in the pilot counties who are flagged during school vision screenings never receive additional eye care, often because of cost or access barriers.
OhioSEE brings vision services into schools through two models: a mobile vision van equipped to conduct eye exams and dispense glasses, or a “roll-on, roll-off” approach in which providers set up temporary exam spaces inside school buildings.
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said even minor vision problems can significantly affect learning and classroom participation.
“OhioSEE hopes to bridge the gap for students whose families may struggle to arrange follow-up eye care after a failed vision screening by bringing eye exams into schools and covering the cost of those services.,” Vanderhoff said.
Nearly 50 school districts have enrolled or are in the enrollment process since the state announced program vendors late last year, according to the health department.
Campus International School is among those participating. Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Dr. Warren Morgan said access to vision care helps remove barriers to learning for students.
“Programs like OhioSEE, which provide direct support to students, make a real difference in our classrooms every day,” Morgan stated. “Our students have immense potential, and when we give them the resources they need — whether that’s vision care, school supplies, or other essentials — we help ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.”
Vision To Learn founder Austin Beutner said millions of children nationwide attend school without the glasses they need.
“When children go to school hungry, we feed them,” Beutner said. “Why not glasses?”
The pilot counties include Allen, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Erie, Franklin, Guernsey, Huron, Jackson, Lorain, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery and Ross. School districts can request enrollment information through the Ohio Department of Health.
