Seeing a New Tomorrow: Mobile Vision at Chicago Public Schools

The Erie Family Health Center mission reads as follows:'At Erie Family Health Center, we believe health care is a right, not a privilege. Our mission is to provide accessible, affordable, and high quality health care for those in need."  Not only do I serve every day to help carry out that mission, but a certain initiative in particular, called the Mobile Vision program, allows for me to do so. I run this program at my host site at Lake View High School, allowing me to make a small difference in the lives of students here.

Through the Mobile Vision program, Chicago Public Schools and a few dedicated ophthalmologists are able to offer comprehensive eye exams for students who may have difficulty getting to an eye doctor on their own. If the students are found to need glasses the doctors return with donated eyeglasses to fit them to the students and offer them a pair to keep. This is an excellent initiative because lacking proper eyewear is detrimental not only to a person's health, but also to their education.

When a student doesn't have proper eyeglasses it forces them to strain their eyes which can cause their eyesight to worsen. Alternatively, routine eye exams are key in preventing and detecting eye disease and visual disorders. Left undetected, these can lead to detrimental long term effects.

Not having proper eyeglasses also has a negative effect on a student's educational experience. If a student cannot see clearly, then they cannot see the board or presentations that happen during class. Without proper eyesight to learn the lesson, they are less likely to participate in class and may suffer from lower self-esteem. They may find completing homework or reading from their textbooks to be a challenge. This is why eyeglasses are so important for students to have, both from a physical aspect and a social and educational one.

The Erie Mission is to provide basic health care to everyone, regardless of their level of need. I feel that the Mobile Vision program has carried out this mission. By providing eye exams and glasses to those who would not otherwise receive such care, they are making available the kind of health care that everyone should have access to. They are not only improving the health status of their patients, but also easing the burden of their everyday tasks and making their education and future more attainable. This is a program I am happy to coordinate and be a part of.

This post was written by NHC Chicago member Kaitlynn Tracy.

Kaitlynn serves as a Health Educator at Erie Family Health Center at Lake View High School.