In Baltimore, Free Eyeglasses are Helping Kids Improve Performance

It is no secret that poverty hinders the performance of kids in schools.  But could performance be improved by simply helping students see better?

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University went on a mission to answer this simple question. They screened hundreds of 2nd and 3rd graders and gave glasses to those who needed them, about 60% of the students. Once they saw that these students’ reading proficiency improved significantly, Johns Hopkins and the city of Baltimore discussed a way to tackle this issue together.

In May 2016, the Baltimore Health Department brought together Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Education, eyeglass retailer Warby Parker and the national nonprofit Vision To Learn to create a 3 year program called Vision for Baltimore. This program will visit 150 schools over three years to screen 60,000 students. As of now, Vision for Baltimore has conducted 18,000 screenings and distributed almost 2,000 pairs of glasses for free.

Read the full Politico.com article on this subject here.