For what might be the first time, the Prairie Lincoln Elementary School library came fully into focus Tuesday afternoon for second-grader Tesannya and six other students.
Brown eyes wide and toothy smile large in her new red frames, Tesannya mouthed ‘wow,’ over and over, as Gov. Mike DeWine stood off to her side grinning.
“It’s a lot of fun,” DeWine told reporters. “But it’s also a little scary, because what it tells you is what they couldn’t see before they had the glasses.”
DeWine, who wears dark Ray-Bans every day, has been touring elementary schools all February as the state launches its new $10 million vision initiative, the Ohio Student Eye Exam (OhioSEE). It brings young children who fail their state-mandated biennial vision screenings more care and—if needed—glasses, on the state’s dime.
More than one in four Ohio students who need additional vision care actually get it, according to Ohio Department of Health analysis.
But a person’s vision can change quickly and continue changing, particularly when they are in their pre-teen or teenage years, said iSee Ohio President and Athens Eye Care owner Dr. Shane Foster. The most basic mandated screenings might not detect that.
“Vision is an essential tool for classroom readiness,” Foster said Tuesday. “In a traditional classroom, 80% of what we learn is visual. Vision is the gateway to literacy and learning, and learning is the gateway to opportunities, yet we know that many children struggle in school not because they lack intelligence or motivation.”
DeWine’s office last year requested $50 million to establish OhioSEE. In the final version of the biennial state budget, lawmakers earmarked one-fifth of that—$10 million. Although DeWine wanted to go into all 88 counties, ODH has started with 15 counties.
But DeWine said he thinks OhioSEE is “going to demonstrate its worth” to whichever candidate succeeds him as governor.
