Education News / October 30, 2012
Being able to see clearly is vital to academic success, yet nearly one in four children attending school in the United States has an undiagnosed problem with their vision. Although an eye exam is recommended prior to beginning kindergarten, six out of seven kids don’t see a doctor before starting classes. To combat this problem, a partnership of private and public health experts have come together to create a model program: the OneSight Vision Center at the Oyler School, which will not only provide quality care to students year-round, but will also be entirely financially self-sustaining.
OneSight is the first self-sustaining school-based vision center and it will be serving mainly kids from the Greater Cincinnati area. Even prior to opening it was considered to be a model for similar centers all over Ohio by the state’s Optometric Association.
The OneSight Vision Center at Oyler School will provide quality vision care for approximately 2,000 Greater Cincinnati children who did not previously have access to eye care services due to lack of insurance, financial need, transportation and other barriers. Think of the impact this could make across the country. A visionary public-private partnership made this unique vision center a reality.
Dr. Marilyn Crumpton, Director of the Cincinnati Health Department’s School and Adolescent Health Division, said that the service provided by OneSight could prove invaluable in improving academic outcomes for the city’s students. Crumpton’s department will be handling the day-to-day operation at OneSight, along with overseeing a health center which is also located on school grounds.
The OneSight Vision Center at Oyler School is a result of the Community Learning Center model being incorporated through the Cincinnati Public School District. It will serve more than 2,000 Greater Cincinnati students annually, with priority given to those referred for an IEP and those with failed vision screenings.