Free eye exams to park on Main Street
People have not kept up with their eye exams as diligently since the coronavirus pandemic, according to Mara Babilya, project manager for Vision to Learn.
Vision to Learn’s traveling eye exam van sometimes is the first exposure children get to having their eyes checked, and its optometrists try to make it as positive of an experience for them as possible.
“We also get a lot of first-timers. We get a lot of kindergartners,” Babilya said. “Some kids get a little nervous at first, but we tell them nothing hurts here.”
The Vision to Learn van will be at the Slippery Rock University Center for Engagement, Empowerment and Development (SUCCEED) from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. June 22. Children ages 4 to 18 can get their eyes checked without charge by Vision to Learn and can have their chosen pair of glasses sent to them once they go through the process. SUCCEED is at 150 N. Main St., Butler.
Josette Skobieranda Dau, associate director of Butler SUCCEED, said she wanted to bring the van back to Main Street after it received a good community response last year.
“We got good feedback,” Skobieranda Dau said, “and people really enjoyed the convenience of being able to pop in on Main Street, have an eye exam and then maybe grab a coffee.”
Skobieranda Dau said she hopes to see more families take advantage of the opportunity this year.
“Last year, we had nine children get free eye exams and glasses,” Skobieranda Dau said. “We have space for 20 participants on June 22 … Families can bring multiple children, and all they need to do is preregister in advance.”
Vision to Learn travels to schools around Western Pennsylvania, and typically has full registration at every stop, according to Babilya. She said the van goes to school districts around Pittsburgh, and the optometrist is bilingual and helps children around the region who speak only Spanish.
In addition to the eye checks being free, children also can choose their own pair of glasses, and the nonprofit will replace frames if they are broken, Skobieranda Dau said.
It is especially pivotal for children to have their eyes checked when they are still growing, Babilya said.
“We see kids in our system and their eyes change so much as they're growing,” she said. “They'll come onto the clinic and see our optician first. They'll do a basic eye check, get your measurements and then you'll see the eye doctor.”
Free eye exams
The Vision to Learn van will be parked outside Butler SUCCEED, 150 N. Main St., from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on June 22, and registration is required. To register a child for an eye exam, call Butler SUCCEED at 724-841-0477.
