Berkeley Eye Center is Proud to Be a See To Succeed Sponsor
What if we could reduce crime statistics and high school dropout rates in the future by simply providing eye care to at-risk children today? With See to Succeed, we can.
In February 2023, the Houston Health Department’s See to Succeed program celebrated a major milestone — providing vision care and eyeglasses for its 100,000th child from underserved areas of the city. This remarkable achievement highlights how this initiative is helping ensure that all children have access to essential eye exams in Houston.
“Eleven years ago, See to Succeed partners, led by the Houston Health Department, recognized the magnitude of unresolved vision deficiencies among Houston’s youth and resolved to do something about it,” said Robin Mansur, president and CEO of the Houston Health Foundation. “Serving 100,000 children only proves how beneficial and much needed this program is to the community. Thank you to all our team, donors and partners for their support. We look forward to building this program so that all children in Houston are assured the chance to succeed in school with good vision.”
The program is supported by the University of Houston College of Optometry, Berkeley Eye Center, Essilor Vision Foundation, San Jacinto College Eye Technology Program, Access Health and numerous volunteer and philanthropic organizations.
How Has See to Succeed Helped Houston’s At-risk Children?
Houston’s children are facing a troubling crisis — of the 40,000 annually being diagnosed with vision disorders, and an estimated half go unresolved. Untreated childhood vision issues can have lasting impact, leading to lower academic performance and socialization as well economic repercussions down the road.
Many children from disadvantaged families do not have eyeglasses because their parents are unable for various reasons to take them to the eye doctor. These children have been screened by school nurses but still do not have glasses by the end of the year.
Launched by the health department in 2011, See to Succeed is a public-private partnership that serves school children ages 6 to 18 from 16 Houston-area school districts and charter schools. The program gives these children a quality eye examination and a quality pair of eyeglasses at no cost.
During week-long vision clinics conducted throughout the school year, hundreds of students receive comprehensive diagnostic eye exams. They try on a variety of frames to choose from, then their free eyeglasses are delivered to the schools a few weeks after the clinics.
Berkeley Eye Center has been a proud sponsor and participant in the See to Succeed program since it’s inception in 2011. Our employees and doctors have been excited at the opportunity to participate in the program and have willingly given their time and energy to help these young students.