The Heiken Children’s Vision Program was created by
the Dade County Optometric Association in response to the realization that
every year thousands of children in Miami-Dade County Public Schools
failed school vision screening and never received comprehensive eye
examinations or glasses.
As the only consistent provider of these services county-wide, we aim to
reach those in need as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Our objective is to provide comprehensive eye health services including
vision examinations, eyeglasses and vision training for students, thus
meeting the goal for vision established in Healthy People 2010.
To date, nearly 40,000 children have been serviced by
the Heiken Children’s Vision Program
With three mobile eye care units the program now has
the capacity to reach out to more students in public, charter, private
and parochial schools throughout Miami-Dade county
The “Instant Vision Program” (IVP) is a fully
equipped mobile “optometric office.” Three mobile eye care units travel
to schools providing comprehensive eye health and vision examinations.
Both economical and efficient, the IVP can provide services to a greater
number of children in local low-income communities.
The Heiken Program believes that literacy can be
improved with early intervention in children with vision deficits.
Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children's Vision Program
Points of Interest
The Heiken Children's Vision Program was founded in
1992 by the Dade County Optometric Association and merged with the Miami
Lighthouse in 2007.
Nearly 40,000 low-income M-DCPS schoolchildren have
received no cost eye examinations and necessary eyeglasses through the
Heiken Children’s Vision Program to date.
Students with poor vision cannot see the board or do
close work. They fall behind in class and are more likely to become
disruptive, delinquent, and drop out.
The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind is ranked among
the nation's top 18% most efficient non-profit organizations. Our mobile
eye care fleet allows us to provide high quality comprehensive eye
examinations and eyeglasses with tremendous efficiency and
cost-effectiveness.
Under contract with the M-DCPS school board, Miami
Lighthouse is the sole provider of free eye care to needy children who
fail their school vision screening.
Almost 300 schools in Greater Miami receive annual
on-site visits from one of our three mobile eye care units.
Each year over 100,000 school children are screened
at Miami-Dade County Public Schools; more than 13,000 fail the vision
screening (in the five grades mandated by the state for screening) and
about 8,000 have no access to insurance.
This past school year almost 5,000 eye examinations
and glasses, when prescribed, were provided free of charge by our Heiken
Children’s Vision Program to low-income children, but the need is
greater and with additional funding all 8,000 children who need our help
can be served.
M-DCPS children are able to get their prescription
glasses within a few days rather than two or three weeks because we use
a local eyeglass laboratory, Optilab, which generously helps underwrite
part of the cost of these glasses.
Due to recent budgetary cuts, obtaining funding to
provide these services for the 2009-2010 school year is crucial. In
2009-2010 our goal is to serve at least 6,000 low-income children who fail
the mandated vision screening and have no access to insurance.
A contribution of $70 covers the cost for a Heiken
mobile eye care unit to provide free eye care and eyeglasses to one
financially disadvantaged child who failed their state-mandated school
vision screening. Your contribution can help us reach our goal of
providing eye examinations and glasses to all 8,000 low-income Miami-Dade
County school children who have no access to insurance.
The Miami Lighthouse Heiken
Children’s Vision Program receives many letters of appreciation from
community leaders as well as children who have received free eye care as a
result of the program.
Click here to read several heart-felt
letters.
Click here to read a letter of
appreciation from Miami-Dade County Public Schools Assistant
Superintendent, Ava G. Byrne.
Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children's Vision Program
Points of Interest
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