Hundreds of children in eastern Iowa will get free eye exams and glasses thanks to a pilot program that just started in Dubuque and Jackson County. A California non-profit called Vision to Learn is working with two local foundations to help low income children.
Austin Buetner founded Vision to Learn in Los Angeles three years ago, and since then it's provided eye exams to 50,000 kids in several states, and glasses to 40,000.
Buetner says one study found that children's grades can improve 10 per cent in just the first year after getting their first pair of glasses.
Vision to Learn plans to visit eight elementary schools in Dubuque and Jackson County, and provide free vision care to at least 200 low income children.
His local partners include the Community Foundations of Greater Dubuque, and Jackson County, plus Thiesen'sHome Farm and Auto in Dubuque.
Buetner hopes Vision to Learn can help even more children, across Iowa, next year.
