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Mississippi offers third graders free eye exams
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The Mississippi Optometric Association, Mississippi Vision Foundation and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves announced a statewide initiative to provide eye exams at no cost to the nearly 15% of third-grade students who did not pass the state reading assessment and do not have insurance.
According to a press release from the Mississippi Vision Foundation (MVF), the exams will be offered through July 31.
“Improving the reading abilities of Mississippi schoolchildren is going to be a community effort, and this is an example of how we have to pull together to make sure our third graders are reading well,” Reeves said in the release. “I appreciate optometrists across the state donating their time and skills to see if some of these students who are struggling have vision problems.”
“The Mississippi Optometric Association (MOA) and its foundation are pleased to be a part of making a difference in the lives of these students and we are committed to identifying those students who have vision problems,” Tonyatta Hairston, OD, MOA secretary-treasurer and MVF board of directors member, said in the release. “We are also happy to announce that our industry partners are working with us to provide glasses free of charge to any student whose eye test reveals the need for corrective lenses.”