Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc.

To provide vision rehabilitation and eye health services that promote independence, to educate professionals, and to conduct research in related fields.
 

601 Southwest Eighth Avenue, FL 33130 · Ph: 305.856.2288 · Fx: 305-285.6967 · info@miamilighthouse.org 

The Heiken Children’s Vision Program was created by the Dade County Optometric Association in response to the realization that every year thousands of children in Miami-Dade County Public Schools failed school vision screening and never received comprehensive eye examinations or glasses.

As the only consistent provider of these services county-wide, we aim to reach those in need as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Our objective is to provide comprehensive eye health services including vision examinations, eyeglasses and vision training for students, thus meeting the goal for vision established in Healthy People 2010.

• To date, nearly 40,000 children have been serviced by the Heiken Children’s Vision Program
• With three mobile eye care units the program now has the capacity to reach out to more students in public, charter, private and parochial schools throughout Miami-Dade county
• The “Instant Vision Program” (IVP) is a fully equipped mobile “optometric office.” Three mobile eye care units travel to schools providing comprehensive eye health and vision examinations. Both economical and efficient, the IVP can provide services to a greater number of children in local low-income communities.
• The Heiken Program believes that literacy can be improved with early intervention in children with vision deficits.

Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children's Vision Program Points of Interest

1. The Heiken Children's Vision Program was founded in 1992 by the Dade County Optometric Association and merged with the Miami Lighthouse in 2007.
2. Nearly 40,000 low-income M-DCPS schoolchildren have received no cost eye examinations and necessary eyeglasses through the Heiken Children’s Vision Program to date.
3. Students with poor vision cannot see the board or do close work. They fall behind in class and are more likely to become disruptive, delinquent, and drop out.
4. The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind is ranked among the nation's top 18% most efficient non-profit organizations. Our mobile eye care fleet allows us to provide high quality comprehensive eye examinations and eyeglasses with tremendous efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
5. Under contract with the M-DCPS school board, Miami Lighthouse is the sole provider of free eye care to needy children who fail their school vision screening.
6. Almost 300 schools in Greater Miami receive annual on-site visits from one of our three mobile eye care units.
7. Each year over 100,000 school children are screened at Miami-Dade County Public Schools; more than 13,000 fail the vision screening (in the five grades mandated by the state for screening) and about 8,000 have no access to insurance.
8. This past school year almost 5,000 eye examinations and glasses, when prescribed, were provided free of charge by our Heiken Children’s Vision Program to low-income children, but the need is greater and with additional funding all 8,000 children who need our help can be served.
9. M-DCPS children are able to get their prescription glasses within a few days rather than two or three weeks because we use a local eyeglass laboratory, Optilab, which generously helps underwrite part of the cost of these glasses.

Due to recent budgetary cuts, obtaining funding to provide these services for the 2009-2010 school year is crucial. In 2009-2010 our goal is to serve at least 6,000 low-income children who fail the mandated vision screening and have no access to insurance.

A contribution of $70 covers the cost for a Heiken mobile eye care unit to provide free eye care and eyeglasses to one financially disadvantaged child who failed their state-mandated school vision screening. Your contribution can help us reach our goal of providing eye examinations and glasses to all 8,000 low-income Miami-Dade County school children who have no access to insurance.

Click here for common symptoms of vision problems in children

The Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children’s Vision Program receives many letters of appreciation from community leaders as well as children who have received free eye care as a result of the program. Click here to read several heart-felt letters.

Click here to read a letter of appreciation from Miami-Dade County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent, Ava G. Byrne.
 

Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children’s Vision Program Honored by Miami-Dade County School Board

A proclamation recognizing the Miami Lighthouse Heiken Children's Vision Program for distinguished services to county schoolchildren was presented at the April 14th meeting of the Miami-Dade County School Board.

Since its creation in 1992 by the Dade County Optometric Association, the Heiken Program has provided over 40,000 free comprehensive eye examinations and glasses, when prescribed, to low-income M-DCPS students who fail their state-mandated vision screening.

Click here to read the School Board Proclamation.
 

Contact Us:

Miami Lighthouse
Heiken Children’s Vision Program
601 SW 8th Avenue
Miami, FL 33130
Phone: 305-856-9830
Fax: 305-856-9840

Links of Interest:

American Optometric Association (www.aoanet.org)
Florida Optometric Association (www.floridaeyes.org)
Health Foundation of South Florida (www.hfsf.org) 
Healthy Vision/Healthy People 2010 (www.healthyvision2010.org)
National Eye Institute (www.nei.nih.gov) 
The Children’s Trust (www.thechildrenstrust.org)  

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