SPENCERVILLE, Ohio (WLIO) — Governor Mike DeWine visited Spencerville Local Schools today to see students receive new glasses as part of his Ohio Student Eye Exam (OhioSEE) program.
Allen is one of 15 counties selected for the pilot phase of the program, which provides free eye exams and glasses to students who fail screenings. The Ohio Department of Health estimates about 33,000 students in kindergarten through third grade fail vision screenings each year and do not receive follow-up exams. The program sends mobile vision vans to schools to provide on-site exams and return to deliver glasses, with no cost to schools or families.
Governor DeWine says it’s critical to support students at a key time for reading development, but barriers like transportation and cost can affect families from getting eye care.
“The whole idea is to make it available. So, it’s the cost that might be prohibitive for some parents. It’s also just convenience. So this brings the eye doctor right here in the school and they can do the exam. And then in a couple weeks after that, they come back and deliver those glasses and make sure they fit,” said Gov. DeWine.
Governor DeWine says he hopes with the help of the legislature, the state can expand the program to all 88 Ohio counties.
“I mean, when you think about it, it’s just so basic. And to think that there are children out there, and we know now there’s tens of thousands of children out there who are not seeing as well as they can see, so we’re trying to fix that.”
Governor DeWine says he wants to continue to make child literacy a priority in his final year in office.
