A total of 105 West Liberty Community School District kindergarten through fifth grade students received new eye glasses last week in a visit from “Vision for Learning,” a unique not-for-profit program that affords better vision for students so they continue to learn.
That number, perhaps, could grow larger as only 121 students were given eye exams of the 500 school district students in grades kindergarten through high school senior identified in needing exams of the nearly 1,400 students in the district.
A total of 187 students received two free pair of eye glasses two years ago in the last visit from the Vision for Learning program (abut 75 percent of students tested) and school nurses Kayle Morrison and Angela Swick expect the initial number to grow, although a lot of families are struggling with keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and may not be able to participate this year.
The nurse said all students are given vision screenings and any student wearing eye glasses or failing the screening was referred to the Vision for Learning van.
Morrison says the unit will get to middle school and high school students when they return to the classrooms and said not all the young participants received their eyeglasses, noting the school is working with families to arrange fittings and eye-wear pick-ups.
The nurses helped raise thousands of dollars, with a goal of $40,000 in the past campaign, for the program, which costs about $100-120 per child. Local organizations stepped up to help, including nearly $7,000 from West Liberty’s Women Who Care organization. the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine County, The Deerbrook Charitable Trust, Atalissa Church of Christ, several businesses and individuals also donated to help meet the challenge.
“ I am very proud of our community for the donations that were mad,” Morrison said.
According to Vision to Learn, one in five students in public schools lacks the glasses they need to see the board, read a book or participate in class and that number is even worse in low-income communities, jumping to 95 percent.
The organization said students with uncorrected vision problems avoid reading, suffer headaches and can have trouble focusing in class – pointing out 80 percent of learning in a child’s first 12 years is visual.
Vision to Learn was founded in 2012 and seeks to solve a problem affecting an estimated 25,000 Iowa youths. It launched in Iowa in 2016.