Pink glasses are now the big trend at Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary School in Baltimore. Several students were spotted making that fashion statement on March 8 as local officials convened at the school to celebrate a milestone moment for Vision for Baltimore. The citywide program, which launched in May of last year and receives financial and research support from Johns Hopkins, has now distributed more than 1,000 pairs of free eyeglasses to Baltimore students.
“At Johns Hopkins, we believe that the success of Baltimore’s students and its public schools are essential to the success of our city,” said Ronald J. Daniels, president of The Johns Hopkins University.
Between now and the summer of 2019, Vision for Baltimore intends to complete vision screenings for every public school student in the city between pre-K and eighth grade, providing two free pairs of glasses to each student who needs them.
“Far too many people lack access to vision care, and that’s what this program is about,” Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said at the event.
Among other officials on hand were Leana Wen, head of the Baltimore City Health Department, and Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. Both agencies are key partners of Vision for Baltimore, along with Johns Hopkins and the national nonprofit Vision To Learn, which supports similar programs throughout the country.
When signs of poor eyesight are missed, students often struggle, officials emphasized. Their impairment may be misconstrued as a learning disability or behavior problem.
Daniels worked with Wen last year to lay the groundwork for Vision for Baltimore. They were looking for a collaboration that could have “a clear impact and immediate impact” for Baltimore students, Daniels said.
Warby Parker, the New York City-based eyewear retailer, donates the glasses for Vision for Baltimore. The health department conducts initial screenings, with Vision To Learn providing mobile eye clinics.
Johns Hopkins provides program support and research through a collaboration between the school of education and the Wilmer Eye Institute at the school of medicine. The research is supported by the Hackerman family and the Abell Foundation, as well as a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
After helping to get Vision for Baltimore up and running last summer, the Johns Hopkins team now works closely with its partners on logistical details— including getting consent forms from parents and sorting through Medicaid issues—and quality assessment. In addition, the team has launched a campaign to educate teachers and parents about vision issues.
The Baltimore program is meant to serve as a replicable model for school-based delivery of eye care, says Megan Collins of the Wilmer Eye Institute.
“We want to develop a sustainable solution to provide eyeglasses to children who need them,” she says.
This research builds upon an earlier Johns Hopkins study that came before Vision for Baltimore and served as one impetus for its creation. In 2015, the Baltimore Reading and Eye Disease Study found that the reading skills of second- and third-graders who received eyeglasses increased significantly compared to that of their classmates who didn’t need glasses.
Big picture, “this is a giant public health issue that’s more than just a one-time putting glasses on a kid,” says Robert Slavin of the school of education.