Clark Howard

How kids can get free eyeglasses

For years, money expert Clark Howard has talked about buying cheap prescription lenses and frames online at prices starting as low as $12 (including shipping!)

But what if you could take that price down to zero dollars?

RELATED: 10 best places to get a deal on eyeglasses

Free eye exams and glasses for kids in 9 states

Vision To Learn (VTL) is a non-profit organization that offers free eye exams and free prescription eyeglasses to students in low-income communities and Title I schools.

The non-profit, which was founded in 2012, has served more than 92,000 kids in 180 communities across the country from Baltimore to Honolulu.

Right now, Vision To Learn is active in the following nine states:

  • California
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Iowa
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • New Jersey

About 1.5 million U.S. children don’t have the glasses they need to be successful in the classroom or when reading at home, according to VTL.

Moreover, an estimated 95% of first graders who would benefit from glasses don’t have access to them.

The primary reason? Money.

Some families simply can’t afford glasses for their kids. But making due without glasses can start a vicious cycle of bad grades, low self-esteem and behavioral problems.

Thankfully, VTL offers a solution!

Here’s how it all works

The process begins with schools screening children to identify students with vision problems.

VTL’s mobile clinic then visits the schools with licensed optometrists and opticians to conduct official eye exams.

Following the exam, the kids get to pick out their frames. Within three weeks, the kids have their new glasses in hand and are ready to learn again.

Remember, these glasses are provided free of cost due to the generosity of VTL’s partners!

The glasses even come with a free one-year, one-time replacement warranty.

If you’d like VTL to visit your child’s school, contact the organization at (800) 485-9196 or by sending a note to mail@visiontolearn.org.

Want to make a donation to help VTL further their work? Just visit their Donate page.