A global charitable program has set up shop this week at a recreation center in National City. It's dedicated to improving the vision of children whose families can't afford to pay for eye care.
Many of the youngsters at the Camacho Recreation Center have never had an eye exam or a pair of glasses and they've probably been suffering in silence with blurry vision. Doctors say 94 percent of children with reading problems have reduced visual skills.
Third grader Lara Cano apparently has a stigmatism that causes blurry vision or a halo affect on objects at a far distance. "Come a little bit this way, there we go, can you see me there," said Dr Mita Rahman.
She's been involved with the OneSight outreach program for about 10 years now. Rahman said impacting the lives of young people and providing exams and eye wear free of charge is only part of it. Since 1988, the program has helped more than than eight million people around the world see more clearly.
OneSight also supports research and education, granting more than $6 million toward vision preservation and scholarships to students pursuing a degree in optometry. Many of the eye doctors practice at Lens Crafters and produce about 200 pairs of glasses a day from OnSight's mobile van.
Lara Cano was diagnosed as far sighted. She picked out a pair of purple rimmed glasses she'll have to wear all the time.
Dr Rahman said it's important parents have their child's eyes check, as early as possible. "Especially if there's any family history of eye diseases. There's no such thing as too early of an age, if you suspect something, take them to the eye doctor," she said.
