Tri-C Partners with Essilor to Provide Free Eye Exams, & Glasses to Underserved Children | Blog
As a kid, I wanted to wear glasses so badly that I always viewed other kids who wore glasses as nerdy, intelligent, and wealthy because their parents could afford to take them to the Optometrist and get prescribed glasses. It wasn’t a question for me. Nobody in my family wore glasses, and I didn’t have any complaints about my eyesight, hence asking my parent to take me to the Optometrist just because I wanted to look cool sounded irrational at the time. With my teenage years came Harry Potter fantasies confirming my bias that smart people wore medicated glasses. My love for medication increased, yet it was still inconceivable to ask for eyeglasses at the time. Somehow around that time, I had unconsciously developed a squint when trying to focus on objects far away. I also held my book close to my face to see better. It didn’t occur to me that I may have a problem with my eyesight. Eventually, my uncle noticed and took me to the Optometrist where it was discovered that I had progressive Astigmatism. The fact is even without a noticeable vision problem my early stage of Astigmatism would have been dictated and ameliorated with corrective lenses.
According to Tri-c’s website “More than 90 million adults and 10 million children in the United States are at high risk for serious vision loss, but only half visited an eye doctor in the past year.” The good news is that they are actively making changes by providing resources on-campus to improve the lives of their students. Last two semesters I got my glasses on campus. In October they partnered with Essilor Vision Foundation to host a one-day event that provides no-cost exams and eyeglasses to patients in need. 75 patients will receive a vision exam from an area doctor, followed by an eyeglass fitting by Optical Technology students. Thank you, Tri-c for making futures great.
