Optometrists focus on giving

Charitable group provides eye care where needed
Destiny Dubois, Samuel Sauceda and Skylar Tufts jostled a bit for the right to take five tests.

It's not normal behavior for second-and third-graders, rushing to an unsure academic fate, but these weren't regular exams, either.
The youngsters were first in line this week at downtown San Diego's Monarch School to receive free eye care from a group of volunteers who help at health fairs and other events.

That didn't matter to Destiny, 8.

“We're doing math right now,” she said. “I don't want to go back to class.”

Then a scary realization sank in.

“Does he have to wear glasses?” Samuel asked as Skylar, the first patient, read from the eye chart. “Do I have to wear glasses?”

No, as it turned out. The optometrists, from the San Diego Optometric Society and the Veterans Affairs Hospital in La Jolla, found few problems among the 100 children and teens they examined – three of the first 30 were referred for more care. Free eyeglasses will be provided, if necessary.

Byron Newman, a semiretired optometrist from San Carlos who helped arrange the exams, tested the children's ability to follow a moving object, the final test. If it is limited, he said, their reading skills could be affected.

“That keeps them from being able to study or perform in school,” Newman said.

Evan Square, a shaggy-haired 11-year-old, told Newman that he has frequent headaches. Reading also bothers him. He was unsure how he would respond if he needed a fix for his vision.

“I'd be like, shocked,” the sixth-grader said. “It would be kind of, news, that I have to wear glasses.”

Marcus Coney, 12, recently lost his second pair of glasses. He didn't think he would be eligible for the exams.

“I already had glasses,” Marcus said. “I guess I get to do it because I got to get new ones.”

The Monarch School, which is marking its 20th anniversary, provides services for homeless and at-risk students. In addition to the vision clinic this week, nurses and dental professionals also are available for the children.

They aren't the only ones who can receive free eye care, said Sean South, of the California Optometric Association.

A charitable arm of the group offers about $3 million in care and in-kind services to disadvantaged families annually. Another program provides glasses to 1,300 military dependents.

There are many openings for aid in San Diego, an area that South said has not taken advantage of the opportunities.

“We have more doctors than we have patients,” he said.