Students in JCCS Get Free Eye Exams, Glasses at VSP Mobile Clinic

Transformational experiences for students can extend beyond the classroom to include support for their physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.

See how the mobile clinic changes lives on this Fox 5 segment

Access to regular eye care can have a significant effect on a student’s abilities, so the San Diego County Office of Education and VSP Eyes of Hope partner each year to bring the eye exam room to students who attend Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS), ensuring those in our care get an eye exam and if needed, glasses.

This year, the VSP mobile clinic stopped in all four regions, seeing approximately 200 students over four days. They also visited Monarch School earlier this school year.

Alma, a student at Lindsay Community School, came to the clinic because she has poor vision and couldn’t see the board. She said the exam was easy and quick and was grateful the clinic came to her.

“Things are going to be better for my eyes and me,” she said. “Copying things off the board, and maybe I can even get my driver’s license because I can see well. It will make life better in general.”

Estrella, also a student at Lindsay, said that it has been tough to focus on reading because of her eyesight, and getting glasses will make a difference for her.

“I will probably read more and see more,” she said.

JCCS nurse Ellyson Slater-Kobetsky, who identifies students that may need glasses, said that some students know they need them, but others are unaware their vision may be holding them back.

“For some students, their prescription is quite strong and there is a real need for corrective lenses, so it’s life changing for them when they get glasses.”

The program brings in volunteer optometrists to provide eye exams and issue prescriptions for glasses. Students can select a pair of frames and will either have the glasses made inside VSP’s mobile clinic and ready that day or sent out to their lab and delivered in a few weeks.

Throughout the year, Slater-Kobetsky conducts pre-exams using a Spot Vision Screener on as many students as possible to identify individuals that need comprehensive eye exams and possibly glasses. Those students are invited to attend the free mobile clinic.

For more than a decade, SDCOE and VSP Eyes of Hope have been bringing the eye exam room to our students, helping them overcome some of the challenges they face to getting proper eye care.