Louise J. Moran Vision Care Program

CCSC established the Louise J. Moran Vision Care Program to remove barriers from families needing eyeglasses for their children. The College of Optometrists in Vision Development reports that “up to 25% of school-age children may have vision problems that can affect learning, but only 14% of children receive a comprehensive eye exam before starting school. Nearly 10 million kids have undetected vision problems.”

Each school year CCSC partners directly with school campuses, in particularly underprivileged parts of our service area, and students whose families are in need are provided with services. The Vision Care program is not open to the general public.

Vision Care Operates in Two Phases:

• State-certified CCSC volunteers provide on-site vision screening to students at their campuses, working collaboratively with school nurses to identify children in need.
• Follow up “field trips” are made to the University of Houston’s University Eye Institute (School of Optometry) for professional examinations and eyeglass dispensary services.

Since 2003, this program has been generously underwritten by the Louise J. Moran Foundation. In this time, almost 22,000 students have been screened by CCSC volunteers; more than 7,000 students received comprehensive exams with 89% benefitting from eyeglasses.

By engaging volunteers, the program assists school nurses who often struggle to connect resources to the needs of at-risk students. When struggling students are identified early on, positive change happens not only for those individuals, but to the entire classroom and school campus.

For more information regarding the Louise J. Moran Vision Care program, contact the Youth Services Manager at 713.961.3993 ext. 326 or seasonal@ccschouston.org.