Cole Eye Institute - Cleveland Clinic

Vision First Program: Free Screenings for Public School Children
A pioneering collaboration between the Cole Eye Institute, the Cleveland
Browns and the Cleveland Municipal School District helps bring free vision
screenings to kindergarten and first-grade pupils on the Vision First van.
The program was conceived by the mayor of Cleveland and Dr. Hilel Lewis,
Chairman of the Cole Eye Institute, to identify early, current and treat
pediatric eye diseases in children attending the Cleveland Public Schools.
In 2007, the Cleveland Browns became the Vision First van’s sponsor,
helping expand the six-year-old Vision First program’s offerings to include
free glasses for children who need them and visits from players to get
students excited about wearing glasses and encourage them to invest time
in their studies. Each year, the program screens more than 6,000 children
at 88 elementary schools.
The Vision First van is staffed by Elias I. Traboulsi, MD, head of pediatric
ophthalmology at the Cole Eye Institute, program medical director, Heather
Cimino, OD, and Rhonda Wilson, an ophthalmic technician. Together, they
assess the need for glasses as well as test depth perception, the ability
to use both eyes fully, color perception and eye muscle strength on each
student whose parents return a signed permission slip.
The van is fully equipped to perform complete eye exams – and because
the program is designed for young children, it features a system that
lets the staff use letters, numbers and even pictures in the exam. Video
cartoons are another kid-friendly tool used, and plenty of stickers are
handed out as rewards.
This program is important because childhood vision problems, such as
amblyopia, are treatable if caught early enough – but can damage vision
permanently if left untreated. Also, the earlier students who need glasses
get them, the sooner they can start doing better in school.
2007 Key Statistics
Total Clinic Visits 147,003
Total Surgical Procedures 7,717
Total Surgeries 5,016
Total Cataract Procedures 2,543
Total Cornea Procedures 252
Total Glaucoma Procedures 303
Total Retina Procedures 3,464
Total Oncology Procedures 1,091
Total Oculoplastic Procedures 1,395
Total Strabismus Procedures 474
Total Refractive Procedures 1,541
Total Laser Procedures 1,368
Total Intraocular Drug Therapies 1,907
Outcomes 2007 6