The American Optometric Association (AOA) and Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation announce Mississippi Vision Foundation (MVF) has been awarded a grant through the 2019 Healthy Eyes Healthy Children (HEHC) Community Grant Program.

According to a news release, HEHC’s goal is to spread awareness and increase vision services to address uncorrected refractive error in children across the country.

This grant is made possible by the support of founding sponsor Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF), Healthy Eyes Advantage, and EyeCare Partners. Additionally, EVF provides support of no cost glasses through the Changing Life through Lenses program. 

This grant will allow MVF to work in Hattiesburg and Meridian to raise awareness about the importance of comprehensive eye exams before a child enters school.

MVF will continue to provide the Third Grade Eye Exam Program which offers no-cost eye exams to any third grade child who fails their required reading assessment.

The grant program provides awards of up to $5,000 for innovative projects with a focus on collaborations between doctors of optometry and community resources to boost awareness and access to vision care for children.