Volunteer optometrists and members of Lions International have been working for months to improve the vision — and lives — of children in the South Bay Union School District. Their mission: identify students in need of glasses and provide them at little to no cost.
Since Aug. 16, more than 600 students across six South Bay schools — VIP, Bayside, Central, Oneonta, South Bay Charter and Mendoza — have had their vision screened, with 20% needing further care.
This initiative culminated in a three-day event over the weekend where a mobile clinic operated by insurer VSP Vision Care teamed up with local doctors, school nurses, classroom and community volunteers to test and fit more than 100 South Bay children with eyeglasses.
The volunteer optometrists are primarily in private practice across San Diego County, organizers said. Eric White, optometrist and president of the San Diego County Optometric Society, was quick to embrace the idea when approached, recruiting other eye doctors such as Bob Meisel, who regularly screens students at the Monarch School for unhoused youth in downtown San Diego.
White emphasized the importance of healthy eyesight as the “great equalizer,” highlighting the need for initiatives like this in underserved communities with limited access to eye care and glasses.
“This project will be life-changing for many of these children,” White said. “If children cannot see and read, they cannot succeed in life.”
Lions volunteers from across the South Bay have also been instrumental in supporting the program. According to organizers, the Imperial Beach chapter has even allocated funds to cover glasses or screening equipment if needed. Meanwhile, VSP Vision Care has provided free eye exams and glasses and the opportunity for students to pick out their own frames — a highlight for many kids.
With six schools left to visit — Berry, Sunnyslope, Nestor, Pence, Nicoloff and Emory — the program will resume screenings after the holidays, concluding with the final campus on March 17, 2025. Following the screenings, children identified with vision issues will undergo further exams and fittings, just as they did this year.
Organizers said the collective effort of volunteers sends children into the world with eyes that can better focus on a brighter future.
