Collier County Public Schools is working with several organizations to bring free vision screenings and eye care to children across the county as part of the district’s "We See You" program.
"Because if you can't see, it's really going to be hard for you to learn. So we want to make sure that we're optimizing the students' ability to learn to their fullest potential," Beth Wipf, director of health services for CCPS, said.
At North Naples Middle School, Dr. Nathalie Findlater, with the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program , was on-site conducting exams. She shared how it's more than just giving free glasses.
"Doing this has been really rewarding. Especially on providing the free eye exams and the free glasses to the students who don’t have access to it," Findlater said.
Students who fail school vision screenings are referred to these mobile clinics for in-depth exams and follow-up care, all at no cost.
Dr. Bailey Peterson, an optometrist with the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute , explained the critical role these exams play while working with students at Naples Park Elementary.
"A lot of times the kids say, 'Oh, I see great,' and then you find out later that they can't see farther than their hands away," Peterson said. "So it's incredibly important for academic success as well as confidence for these kids. Because you don't have confidence if you can't see very clearly, you're not playing sports very well, and you feel a little bit left out."
And if a child needs specialized care aside from glasses—like surgery, genetic testing, or an MRI—that’s also covered, thanks to support from the Naples Children & Education Foundation .
Maria Jimenez-Lara, the foundation’s CEO, highlighted the need for these services in Collier County.
"NCEF did quite a bit of research and some data studies. We talked to our partners at the school district, and we learned that one in four children actually lack eye care or eye services and may need eyeglasses," Jimenez-Lara said.
If needed, each child gets two pairs of glasses for free—one for home and one for school.
"The eyeglasses have the child's ID number engraved on the side. So if they ever get end up somewhere else on a school bus or in a classroom, they're able to track down whose glasses they are," Jimenez-Lara said.
Through these partnerships, Collier County students are seeing more clearly and gaining the confidence they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.