The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation (GLLF) is partnering with the YMCA of Metro Atlanta to provide free vision care to youth enrolled in YMCA summer day camps.
Events are being held at eight Metro Atlanta YMCA locations, where campers will receive vision screenings and those identified with vision needs will be scheduled for follow-up eye exams and fitted for glasses, all at no cost to their families.
GLLF’s Transforming Vision Care for Children program aims to screen 10,000 children across Georgia in the next two years, with half expected to require more care. The Y events are part of that statewide effort to support students’ health and learning readiness.
Beth Ehrhardt, executive director of Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, says because of students having increased screen time since the pandemic, their vision is suffering.
“Since the pandemic, students have been spending a lot more time on screens and aren’t really getting the chance to get that long-distance vision that they need,” she said.
Ehrhardt says that while students are increasing their screen usage, it also causes the shape of their eyes to change.
“The eye shape has become myopic, which means they need glasses in order to be able to see well,” she said.
She says the screenings are important because children often don’t know what they don’t know, so they may not recognize they aren’t seeing well.
“When they put the glasses on its suddenly ‘Wow I can see the leaves on the trees, I thought they were green blobs,’ or they say, ‘Now I don’t have to sit in front of the classroom on the floor anymore’,” she said.
Ehrhardt also says many times, students become exacerbated and not understand what’s going on and why, so it results in behavioral problems in the classroom.
“We are also seeing students who are having literacy difficulties because they can’t read because they can’t see, and the literacy rates have dropped along with that,” she said.
Furthermore, she says they are seeing children who were screened nationwide would have about a 20% referral rate. However, since the pandemic in the metro Atlanta area, it’s gone up 30%, where they are seeing 40-50% referral rates sometimes.
Additionally, she says they are working with YMCAs this summer and have eight weeks set up to provide care in between schools. Once that is over, they will return to Atlanta Public Schools, Cobb, DeKalb, Clayton County, and Chatham County in Savannah.
Drew Hullinger, vice president of residential and outdoor programs, YMCA of Metro Atlanta says the great thing about the partnership is “everything happens here on site at the Y, so families don’t have to go anywhere and at the end of the day, if students do need glasses, they will be sent to their home, free of charge.”
Hullinger also says that children having sharp vision is particularly important to the YMCA and its mission to support the community and ensure all kids can thrive.
“This partnership with Georgia Lyons Lighthouse Foundation embodies what we’re trying to do,” he said. “By giving kids a chance to get glasses, if needed, helps them, not only here during the summer, but when they leave and go back into their schools, they have clear vision where they can see the chalkboard or the dry erase board, and where they can participate in classroom activities, goes well beyond what they do at summer camp.”
For more information, visit https://ymcaatlanta.org and https://lionslighthouse.org.
