BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--20/20 Onsite, Boston Public Schools (BPS), the New England College of Optometry (NECO) , and Warby Parker continue their partnership with “Vision for Boston,” a program offering BPS students free, comprehensive eye examinations and corrective eyewear.
For the third consecutive year, 20/20 Onsite, the leading provider of on-site vision care, is partnering with Boston Public Schools, the New England College of Optometry, and Warby Parker to provide free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to BPS children.
The program, called Vision for Boston, brings eye care to students in their schools. 20/20 Onsite’s licensed optometrists and specialists are visiting 15 schools throughout the month of January. All students in participating schools are eligible to receive eye exams at no cost to them, regardless of their insurance coverage. Any student found to need eyeglasses can choose a pair at no cost.
Massachusetts state law requires all Boston Public School students in grades K0-5, 7, and 10 to receive a vision screening in school each year. Students are screened by BPS nurses and health paraprofessionals as well as NECO students and instructors, who also visit schools to assist with screenings. All students who do not pass their vision screenings are flagged as requiring a full eye examination.
Those students flagged with vision impairment have the opportunity to participate in the Vision for Boston program, where 20/20 Onsite provides students in grades 4-12 a complete, comprehensive eye exam. Any student found to need corrective eyewear can choose a pair of new prescription glasses from Warby Parker. Students in grades K-3 can also choose eyeglasses at no cost if the school has a copy of a recent prescription written within the last year.
Warby Parker has designed a line of glasses specifically for students that are part of this program through Warby Parker’s Pupils Project initiative.
“Warby Parker created Pupils Project in 2015 to eliminate barriers to vision care access in schools across the country, while also helping students feel excited by and confident in their glasses," said Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. "Since then, we’ve seen the positive impact that prescription eyeglasses have on students’ learning experiences. We’re excited to continue this important work in Boston alongside our Vision for Boston partners.”
Vision exams take place on board either 20/20 Onsite’s Mobile Vision Clinic, a fully-equipped optometry vehicle parked right outside the school, or its Mobile Vision Suite, an optometry office set up inside the school. 20/20 Onsite optometrists and vision specialists conduct pre-testing that includes capturing a high-definition image of the retina and an eye pressure test for glaucoma detection, before students receive a comprehensive eye exam using fully-digital, top-of-the-line equipment.
“75% of learning is visual: long-term educational performance is closely linked to a child's ability to see clearly in class, yet many students lack access to routine eye exams," said Sonali Bloom, CEO of 20/20 Onsite. "We are incredibly proud to once again partner with Boston Public Schools to bring free eye exams and glasses to students who need them. 20/20 Onsite’s mission is to expand access to vision care for all. We are proud to channel our passion here in our own community.”
Participating schools were recommended by Boston Public Schools Health Services Department due to their high need of vision support, while school administration and school nurses advocated for their school communities to participate. The participating schools include: CASH, Clark Avenue Middle School, Umana, Boston Arts Academy, Brighton High, Hernandez, BTU K-8, Match Charter School, Blackstone Elementary, BCLA/New Mission, King K-8, Chelsea High School, Hennigan Elementary School, Irving Middle School, McCormack Middle School, and Edward M Kennedy.
“Vision care can be the difference between a student being able to see clearly in the classroom and struggling to read and write,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Vision care is important to our students’ well-being and ability to learn. We thank 20/20 Onsite, the New England College of Optometry, and Warby Parker for their continued help in giving students across the City access to free high-quality eye care and eye wear."
If you’re a school district outside of Boston and interested in learning how we can provide this care to your students, please reach out to sselcer@2020onsite.com. Several school districts have partnered with their school board or have applied for grants to bring this program on-site.
About 20/20 Onsite
20/20 Onsite is a health care services company that is transforming the delivery of vision care by radically improving access for patients through state-of-the-art Mobile Vision Clinics. Since 2014, their integrated mobile service delivery platform has taken high value eye care services directly to patients at work, at school, and more recently, at convenient neighborhood locations in the Northeast. In the midst of the pandemic, 20/20 Onsite began bringing ophthalmic assessments to patients in clinical trials or post-marketing safety surveillance programs across the country, increasing access to clinical research. They are disrupting the way eye care is delivered, and are enabling and accelerating fundamental trends toward the consumerization of care and the decentralization of clinical trials.
20/20 Onsite serves 400+ corporate clients, educational institutions, and other organizations with comprehensive eye care for their employees, and their patient base of 70,000+ consistently reports NPS over 92. A portion of the proceeds from the company’s corporate business supports the Vision for Boston program. For more information, please visit www.2020onsite.com.
About Boston Public Schools
The Boston Public Schools (BPS), the birthplace of public education in the United States, serves nearly 55,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 125 schools. BPS is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. They partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.
About Warby Parker
Warby Parker was founded in 2010 with a mission to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style–without charging a premium for it. Headquartered in New York City, the co-founder-led lifestyle brand pioneers ideas, designs products, and develops technologies that help people see, from designer-quality prescription glasses (starting at $95) and contacts, to eye exams and vision tests available online and in more than 190 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada.
Warby Parker aims to demonstrate that businesses can scale, do well, and do good in the world. Ultimately, the brand believes in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, they distribute a pair to someone in need through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. To date, Warby Parker has worked alongside its nonprofit partners to distribute more than 10 million glasses to people in need.
