Our Work
Our Vision Screening Program, launched in 2019, provides timely, accurate on-site vision screenings for children. Eye Thrive staff, certified as Vision Screeners by the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health, travel to schools to identify youth with possible vision impairment. Our program screens students in Pre-K-8th grade, complying with the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s recommendations.
Eye Thrive’s flagship Mobile Vision Clinic Program is an optometry center on wheels that eliminates the barriers of access and expense that prevent low-income children from receiving vision care by traveling at their schools and community centers. With two exam lanes, our optometrists can typically provide up to 40 children with eye exams during a visit. Most glasses are made on-board and dispensed the same day, including duplicate pairs provided for children with high prescriptions and/or idenitified additional needs. From start to finish it all takes about 30 minutes!
We want to meet every child’s complete eye care needs. When a child is identified as requiring medical care beyond what our optometrists can provide, referrals are made to Medicaid-friendly providers like UMSL Eye Care, SLU Sight Clinic, and WashU Eye Center. Information about the diagnosis and referral is communicated to parents, with the goal of not only educating them on the importance of eye health but also the results of their child’s eye exam. Eye Thrive staff also follows up with the parent and provider along the way to assist as needed and ensure the needed additional care is received.
Accidents happen, and many of our kids face challenges outside their control. In our efforts to take the extra step and meet our kids where they are, we gladly provide Eye Thrive kids whose glasses have been lost or broken with free replacements, no questions asked. Parents or teachers simply fill out our online form, and we will ship a new pair of prescription glasses to their child’s home or school in two weeks or less.