“If I can’t see, I can’t read.
If I can’t read, I can’t learn.
If I can’t learn, what’s my future?”
This program of the Division of Community Ophthalmology, in conjunction with the Anne F. & Abraham Ratner Children's Eye Center, at the UCSD Shiley Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology is dedicated to addressing the access barriers to vision care faced by underserved young children and their families.
Mission
Giving low-income children ages 2-6 the vision they need to succeed in school and in life by identifying, treating and preventing vision disorders by means of:
- Vision Screening
- EyeMobile for Children
- Outreach and Education
- Early Child Development Research
Our Key Projects
- Vision screening of low-income young children in over 150 locations throughout San Diego County.
- Mobile pediatric clinic on the EyeMobile for Children, which examines all children who fail the vision screening. This service provides glasses and/or referrals to specialists at no cost to their families.
- Empowering parents through community education about the importance of vision care and subsequent follow-up of their children who receive glasses and/or other treatment.
- Determining patterns of eye disease and the impact of early intervention with eyeglasses on the mental and motor functioning of young children.
Save Our Children's Sight is an unprecedented program that serves as a community health model in overcoming barriers to care for the underserved. Keys to our success include the use of the latest information technologies including electronic medical records, a dedicated multilingual staff and dozens of student and community volunteers.
