Back-to-school eye screenings, eye exam and prescription glasses provided to Keys Gate Charter at no cost to students

The Sight For Kids grant supports quality, comprehensive eye-health services and treatment for students in low-income and underserved communities across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties. Sight For Kids’ goal is for Lions volunteers in collaboration with Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program to provide vision screenings to children across South Florida. The Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program has provided more than 190,000 school children no cost comprehensive eye examinations since inception in 1992 while the Sight For Kids program has provided eye screenings to more than 48 million children around the World since inception in 2002.  

These funds will enable the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program to provide no cost comprehensive eye examinations by licensed optometrists in fully equipped mobile optometric units to students facing inequitable access to eye healthcare. These examinations are being funded by Sight For Kids, a co-founded program by Johnson & Johnson Vision and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). Approximately 77 percent of all children examined by Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program require and receive prescription eyeglasses, confirming the importance of the Sight For Kids screenings and a follow-up comprehensive eye exam by the Heiken Program. 

About Johnson & Johnson Vision 

At Johnson & Johnson Vision*, a part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, we have a bold ambition to change the trajectory of eye health. Through our operating companies, we deliver innovation that enables eye care professionals to create better outcomes for patients throughout their lives with products and technologies that address unmet needs, including refractive error, cataracts and dry eye. In communities with greatest need, we work in collaboration to expand access to quality eye care and we are committed to helping people see better, connect better and live better. Visit us at jjvision.com, or follow @JNJVision on Twitter, Johnson & Johnson Vision on LinkedIn, and @JNJVision on Facebook. 

*Johnson & Johnson Vision represents the products and services of Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and affiliates of both. 

About Lions Clubs International Foundation 

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. Established in 1968, LCIF provides grant funding to support compassionate works of Lions, empowering their service and addressing the needs of their communities both locally and globally. Since its founding, LCIF has awarded more than 17,500 grants totaling more than U.S. $1.1 billion. Connect with LCIF on Facebook or online at LCIF.org. 

About Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program 

The mission of the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program is to make sure that all financially disadvantaged school children have access to comprehensive eye examinations, including dilation and glasses, if required, to give them the best chance at academic success. These free services are offered statewide, either on-site at schools, via five mobile eye clinics or by the Heiken program’s network of more than 1,200 participating optometrists. Funding is provided by the State of Florida Department of Health, The Miami-Dade Children’s Trust and generous private donors. The Journal of the American Optometric Association cites the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program as a national model, which other states should adopt.

For more information about the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program and Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, contact Cameron Sisser at csisser@miamilighthouse.org or 786-362-7515.