CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited with students at Oxford Elementary School in Cleveland Heights on May 16th, as they received new prescription eyeglasses that will allow them to see and learn more clearly.

“These students are seeing a whole new world than they were just a few moments ago, it’s truly a life-changing experience,” said Governor DeWine. “By helping our children see their best, we also help them to read their best and learn their best.”

The glasses were provided by the Vision to Learn program, a nonprofit that works with schools to provide vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to students in high-need communities to help them thrive in the classroom. The program expanded to serve schools in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio this spring. At Oxford Elementary School, 265 students were screened for vision difficulties, with 74 being prescribed glasses.

May 16th’s event marked the first wave of students to receive glasses. All prescriptions are expected to be filled in the coming weeks.

“Experts tell us that 80 percent of a child’s learning comes through their sense of sight,” said Governor DeWine. “Fortunately, we have leaders who are doing innovative work to help connect more students with supports like eye exams and glasses. These models are making a real difference. Now, it is time to bring these proven solutions to more schools and more communities across Ohio.”

Vision to Learn will be teaming up with Sight for All United in the coming school year to begin assisting more students in the Cleveland area. Sight for All United shares a similar goal of eliminating barriers to sight for young students throughout Ohio, especially those in areas with limited access to eye care options.

CHILDREN'S VISION STRIKE FORCE
In his recent State of the State Address, Governor DeWine referenced the work of Sight for All United to provide vision supports to students in the Mahoning Valley. During his address, he announced plans to form a Children’s Vision Strike Force to scale these types of models statewide and provide schools with the technical assistance they need to implement similar programs.

Following May 16th’s event at Oxford Elementary School, Governor DeWine announced the members of the new strike force.

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, will serve as chair. Other members represent a cross-section of experts in the eye care and education fields, as well as vision advocacy leaders and state policymakers.

Members of the Children’s Vision Strike Force include:

• Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, Director, Ohio Department of Health (Chair)
• Sergul Erzurum, M.D., Co-Founder & Board President, Sight for All United; Vision to Learn Ohio Advisory Board Member
• Shane Foster, O.D., Athens Eye Care Mobile Clinic; Chair, Vision to Learn Ohio Advisory Board; and Immediate Past President, Ohio Optometric Association
• Jeffrey J. Walline, O.D., PhD, Acting Dean, The Ohio State University College of Optometry
• Stephen D. Dackin, Director, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
• Kara Wente, Director, Ohio Department of Children and Youth
• Maureen Corcoran, M.S. Ed., Director, Ohio Department of Medicaid
• Anne Gonzales, Executive Director, Ohio Vision Professionals Board
• Dion Manley, Board Member, Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools; Optician
• Paul Imhoff, Ed.D., Director of Government Relations, Buckeye Association of School Administrators
• Elizabeth Muckley, O.D., CEO and Executive Director, Ohio Optometric Association
• Walker Motley, M.S., M.D., Ohio Ophthalmological Society, Cincinnati Children’s Pediatric Ophthalmologist
• Amy Pulles, CEO, Prevent Blindness Ohio

According to an ODH survey, in the 2022-2023 school year, more than 93,000 Ohio students were referred for a follow-up examination after receiving vision screenings at their schools. Of those students, only about 17,000 had a follow-up exam. It is estimated that at least 35,000 students who needed glasses did not receive them.

The ODH survey asked caregivers what kept them from providing their children with follow-up eye care. The barriers they listed included a lack of time, lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or a lack of providers in their area.

The strike force is tasked with overcoming those barriers, building off the successful efforts of several local organizations involved in this work, and scaling up to ensure a statewide reach.

“I am looking forward to getting to work with this talented group of professionals to deliver strategies and solutions that will ensure we fulfill our mission,” Dr. Vanderhoff said. “We will work at a rapid pace to find a pathway toward our ultimate goal of ensuring that every Ohio student who needs glasses can get glasses.”

The strike force will have its initial meeting on June 3 and plans to meet at least monthly after that, with workgroups addressing specific issues between strike force meetings.