Unite For Sight's Vision Screenings and Vision Education Programs are held in community centers such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, schools, libraries, and health clinics.

The Need

In the United States alone, there are 10 million people who are blind or visually impaired. Many of these people do not have access to health care, health insurance, or education about the importance of annual eye examinations to maintain sight. Patients without health insurance are usually not aware of free health coverage programs that would enable them to receive complete eye exams with no out-of-pocket expense. Even with health insurance, patients may be fearful of eye surgery and can sometimes perceive blindness--due to cataract or as a result of diabetes--as a natural part of aging. Additionally, health coverage may not include extras, such as eyeglasses, which low-income and elderly populations may not be able to afford.

The Innovative Solution

In North America, Unite For Sight's chapters screen community members for eye disease, educate children and adults about eye health and blindness prevention, and encourage the medically underserved to apply for free health coverage so that they can receive complete eye exams by physicians. The screenings identify individuals who require follow-up by an eye doctor for diagnosis and management of their eye problems. Additionally, vision education programs are held in conjunction with vision screenings to enhance the value of vision screenings.

Initiatives include:

Vision Screenings

• Young children are screened for amblyopia and strabismus. Based on recent studies, 62% of America's preschool children have never had a vision screening. This results in approximately 500,000 children losing sight in one eye each year. Through vision screenings, Unite For Sight identifies children whose visual acuity indicates the potential for eye disease and refers them to eye doctors for diagnosis and treatment.
• Older children and adults are screened for visual acuity problems and directed to an eye doctor for regular eye examinations.

Access to Eye Care

• Unite For Sight assists and encourages the medically underserved to apply for free health coverage programs so that they can receive an eye examination by a physician. Programs include the VisionUSA Program, the National Eye Care Project, Sight For Students, Medicaid, VA Insurance, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Vision education programs

• The extensive vision education program teaches people how to prevent blindness. Interactive presentations are held at elementary, middle, and high schools, and at community centers for adults. These presentations cover eye anatomy and eye disease, the history of ophthalmology, the comparison of ancient and modern ophthalmologic procedures, and the social history of eyeglasses. Art history seminars are also presented to discuss eye disease in eminent artists.

In addition to screening and education events, chapters also organize eyeglass drives, book drives, fundraising events, and participate in several national youth service days. Also in North America, Unite for Sight hosts an annual international health conference that convenes more than 400 students, doctors, and public health professionals who travel from as far as China to attend. Unite for Sight also offers a free service-learning curriculum to mobilize school children to organize service projects in support of Unite for Sight's mission.

Unite For Sight's Make A Difference Day

Unite For Sight celebrated Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 23 with Eye Health Festival Events in 8 cities throughout the United States. Unite For Sight Eye Health Festival Days were held in Los Angeles CA, San Diego CA, New Haven CT, Atlanta GA, New Orleans LA, Durham NC, and Ithaca NY, and a fundraiser for international cataract surgeries was held in New Brunswick, NJ. Unite For Sight's volunteers included students aged 18-25 from UCLA School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, San Diego State University, Yale University, Emory University, Duke University, and Cornell University. Unite For Sight volunteers provided blood pressure checks, visual field/pupillary reflex/extraocular muscle exams, and Snellen chart vision and glaucoma screenings. All of the children and adults screened were referred to national free health coverage programs. Those who volunteered at the Unite For Sight event learned about public health, engaged with students of various clinical and educational backgrounds, and gained an appreciation for the work of a nonprofit organization.

Make a Difference Day Spotlight
Durham, NC - Duke University Chapter of Unite For Sight

Unite For Sight's Duke Chapter of Unite For Sight held Make A Difference Day at the Northgate Mall in Durham, North Carolina. The Unite For Sight volunteers invited Duke School of Medicine's Student Sight Savers club to participate in the event as well. The festival ran from 10 am to 4 pm and attracted 100 shoppers. The volunteers included undergraduate students, medical students, and ophthalmologists from the Duke Eye Center.

The medical students tested visual acuity, visual field, blood pressure and pulse, while the physicians provided glaucoma pressure checks using tonopens. The undergraduate volunteers provided vision screenings for children, who were each given an occluder made of colorful fuzzy pipe cleaners and foam with animal faces. The children particularly enjoyed the occluders because they came in a variety of shapes and colors.

The Unite For Sight volunteers also distributed literature about eye disease, taught the public about eye health, and played interactive games with the children to educate them about eye health and eye anatomy. The Unite For Sight volunteers played a trivia game about eye diseases with the children. The kids opened a flap on cardboard to answer a trivia question about ocular health. When they successful answered the question, they moved onto the next flap. If they finished the game, they were given small token toys as a reward. The children were also taught about the eye through activity books provided by the National Eye Institute. Additionally, Unite For Sight posters with facts about glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy were displayed at the Northgate Mall.

The children at Unite For Sight's event most enjoyed an innovative game that the organization implements throughout the world, which is called "Pin the Carrot on the Pupil." Similar to "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," the game emphasizes the importance of eating foods rich in vitamin A to maintain ocular health.

Unite For Sight's Make A Difference Day in Durham was a tremendous success. Many participants offered positive feedback and good words. They also asked Unite For Sight's volunteers when they would return to Northgate Mall so that they could bring their family and friends to the event in the future.

Unite For Sight's "Join Hands Day"

On May 1, Unite For Sight held its "Join Hands Day" Health Festival at the Thompson Center at New York University in New York City. Join Hands Day is a national event that unites young people and adults in an effort to improve their communities. Sponsored by America's Fraternal Benefits Societies in partnership with The Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network, Join Hands Day calls upon Americans to reach across generations and work with new friends in identifying and fixing problem conditions in local communities. The New York City chapters convened for this large event, for which Unite For Sight received a generous mini-grant from Join Hands Day.

Unite For Sight’s volunteers included students aged 15-26 from NYU's School of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn College, and Stuyvesant High School.

Through generous donations from the Join Hands Day Organization and tireless efforts of our volunteers, Unite For Sight provided blood pressure checks, visual field/pupillary reflex/extraocular muscle exams, and Snellen chart vision screenings. All of the children and adults screened were referred to national free health coverage programs as well as the NYC Free Health Clinic in Union Square (staffed by NYU physicians, medical students, and undergraduates) for further evaluation and follow-up testing.

Those who volunteered at the Unite For Sight event were able to learn about public health, engage with students of various clinical and educational backgrounds, and gain an appreciation for the work of a nonprofit organization.

Unite For Sight Health Festival Day Spotlight

Each of Unite For Sight's United States chapters organized a Unite For Sight Health Festival Day event in their local community on April 3, 2004. Rush Medical College, located in Chicago, Illinois, was recognized for outstanding innovation and creativity. They have been chosen for this Annual Report's Spotlight.

The Rush Medical College Unite For Sight chapter organized an outstanding Health Festival Day event at a nearby branch of the Chicago Public Library. They held vision screenings and various educational activities for the children receiving the screenings. When children walked into the screenings, they were given a sketch of the eye to color, and were asked to identify the five different parts of the eye: eyelid, pupil, sclera, iris, and conjunctiva. ("Conjunctiva" was a bonus.) Whatever the children could not identify, Unite For Sight volunteers taught them. After they completed the worksheet, the children received a gold star on their paper and then proceeded to play “Pin The Carrot on the Pupil.” At the conclusion of the game, they were asked about the health benefits of carrots and were supposed to respond with something to the effect of "carrots are good for your eyes because they have vitamin A.” Children were then directed to the *prize* corner where stuffed animals and toys, generously donated by Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago, awaited them. If a child wanted to compete for a second prize, s/he had to solve at least one magic eye poster (posters that one stares at for half an hour until a 3-D image becomes visible). These posters showed how one's own eyes can play tricks.

While some children were engaged in activities, others received vision screenings. Makeshift “vision results” scorecards made out of construction paper were given to the children to take home. Volunteers from Unite for Sight's University of Chicago chapter assisted Rush Medical College with the vision screenings and educational activities. In the waiting area, parents and children perused various educational pamphlets (donated by the Rush Ophthalmology Department). Eye posters were also posted on the walls to depict the complexity of the eye. Fifty participants and ten volunteers participated in Rush Medical College’s Unite For Sight Eye Health Festival Day, which contributed to the success of the event. The kids were able to have fun and learn at the same time!

Unite For Sight’s Resolution to the American Medical Association to encourage and support vision screenings for school-age children

The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution to encourage vision screenings for schoolchildren, which was submitted by Unite For Sight (UFS). The resolution was written by Ms. Jennifer Staple, UFS Founder, President and CEO; Mr. Samuel Baharestani, UFS Executive Vice President and Member-at-Large of the Governing Council Medical Society of the State of New York; and Mr. John Frisbee.

The Unite For Sight resolution expressed concerns that one in four school-aged children has a vision problem. Unite For Sight provided testimony to uniformly support increased efforts to provide vision screening for school-aged children to detect vision problems and deficits that can affect learning. Unite For Sight has successfully used preliminary vision screenings to refer children with vision problems to an eye doctor for diagnosis, treatment, and surgery.

"Resolution 430-Encouraging Vision Screenings for Schoolchildren" asked that the AMA:

1. Encourage and support outreach efforts to provide vision screenings for school-age children prior to primary school enrollment (Directive to Take Action).
2. Support periodic pediatric eye screenings based on AAP, AAFP, and AAO evidence-based guidelines with referral to an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive professional evaluation as appropriate. (New HOD Policy)
3. Encourage the development of programs to improve school readiness by detecting undiagnosed vision problems (Directive to Take Action).

Supporting Eye Exams For All Adults - Unite For Sight's Resolution to the American Medical Association

In its unwavering efforts to create positive change in eye care health for all medically underserved persons, Unite For Sight submitted a resolution to the American Medical Association (AMA) to encourage outreach efforts that support eye examinations for all adults. This resolution was passed by the AMA and became new AMA policy in early November.

The resolution was co-written by three Unite For Sight volunteers: Jennifer Staple (Founder, President and CEO); Samuel Baharestani (Executive Vice President) and John Frisbee. In addition to their volunteerism for the global nonprofit organization, all three are medical students attending Stanford University, New York University and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine respectively.

In testimony before the AMA, Mr. Frisbee stated, "Current AMA policy urges the medical community to improve access to healthcare, including eye and vision care, to all aspects of U.S. society. AMA policy specifically addresses the need for improving access to the uninsured and underinsured...Adopting a policy to encourage the development of vision screenings for adults can only help prevent major causes of blindness in America."

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