SAN DIEGO OPTOMETRIC SOCIETY
SCREENS HOMELESS KIDS AT MONARCH SCHOOL
Children from first grade through high school were screened on Wednesday, March 9th at Monarch school with about 25% of the 120 studendts requiring referrals for full examinations for glasses or vision therapy. Monarch School in San Diego provides education for homeless children, and relies on volunteers for many projects.
With a wonderful team of optometrists headed by the Public Awareness Committee of the SD County Optometric Society, the children were screened for visual acuity, diseases of the eyes, approximate correction if needed, color vision and stereopsis, along with testing for eye movements and skills. Local optometrists included Jack Anthony, OD, Robert Meisel, OD, Byron Y. Newman, OD, Paul Lavin, OD, Dick Skay, OD, Stephen Luskin, OD, plus 4 students at UC San Diego, members of the Optometry club at the University, ably assisted by Monarch School’s volunteer and event coordinator Daisy Crumpton.
Screenings are performed at Monarch School twice a year, since every 6 months there is almost a 100% turnover for these children. Monarch School provides a needed service in San Diego, for with every homeless family there are children who are also homeless by definition. They get great care and schooling at Monarch, where many individuals and organizations offer services for this underserved group of children.
Those children needing referral to eye doctors for further care are provided for by the California Optometric Association, through several sources, including VSP and the California Vision Project.
The next screening will be held in September 5, 2012.
The website for Monarch School is www.monarchschools.org