Amherst Schools hosts free eye exam clinic for students

AMHERST — Powers Elementary firs -grader Ember Rogala picked out a pair of pink frames after her eye exam on Friday at the district's board office-turned eye clinic. She grinned widely when asked if she liked her new glasses, which would be returned to her with her prescription lenses in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the 6-year-old took home a pair of sunglasses for her dilated eyes and went back to class. It was the first time Amherst Schools hosted the in-school iSee clinic, with Dr. Andrea Fisher, owner of Erie Shores Eye Care, volunteering her time to provide eye exams and follow-up care for students who failed a vision screening earlier in the year. The exams, and any eyeglasses needed, were all free of cost to students and their families, Fisher said, through the iSee program funded by the Ohio Optometric Foundation. Everything from the optometrists' and technicians' time to the frames and lenses are donated, Fisher said. "I believe in the community, I believe in our children's future — 80 percent of what a child learns in the classroom is through their eyes, so if they don't have the proper tools they're not going to be successful," she said. School nurse Erin Gornall said the Ohio Department of Health mandates vision screenings for children every other year after kindergarten. The exams identified dozens of students potentially in need of glasses throughout the district. Of those, 13 students at Powers Elementary School and Amherst Junior High School were served by the iSee program on Friday after their families returned the required paperwork. The program is open to children regardless of their families' financial status. "This is a source when families don't have the means to bring their kids in to an eye exam — they don't have transportation, they don't have the money, they slip through the crask where they're not able to get state assistance — this program ensures that every child in that classroom that needs glasses has them," Fisher said. Last year Fisher provided similar exams at Firelands Schools, she said, and hopes to see more districts participate in the program. She and Erie Shores optician Sierra Shortridge said getting glasses for their pediatric patients is the highlight of their practice, and the iSee program. Fisher and Shortridge said some of the children they serve have had eye exams in the past few years, or have old glasses they cannot wear anymore. Fisher noted just like a child grows out of their shoes each year, they often grow out of their eyeglass prescriptions. School districts interested in implementing an iSee clinic may contact Wendy Giambrone, Ohio Optometric Association iSee program coordinator, at wgiambrone@ooa.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com