All Children See
The Children’s Eye Foundation is the official foundation of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Its mission is to end preventable vision loss in children. To mark its 50th anniversary in 2020, the foundation launched All Children See in partnership with the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, who generously funded the program. All Children See was created to provide a critically needed pathway to quality eye exams for all children (18 and under), regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances. The public service program pairs children needing a comprehensive eye exam with nearby, highly qualified pediatric ophthalmologists at no cost for children who do not have health insurance or cannot access care for other financial reasons
WHAT
All Children See, a program of the Children’s Eye Foundation of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (CEF of AAPOS), provides an eye exam and a year of follow up care at no cost to children who qualify nationwide.
WHY
Vision impairment is common among young children. More than 2% of children under age 18 years are blind or visually impaired and up to 5% of young children are at risk for permanent vision loss from conditions such as amblyopia (also known as “lazy eye”) and strabismus.
Uncorrected significant need for glasses (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism) are the most common vision disorders in children. 5-10% of preschoolers and 25% of school age children have vision problems that affect their learning and quality of life. Because 80% of learning is visual, vision plays a critical role in the cognitive, physical and social development of a young child. Vision is a strong predictor of school readiness and academic success.
We cannot afford to allow our children to forego care. The consequences of delaying treatment for children with visual impairment can be life-long—and include blindness.
WHO
To qualify as an All Children See patient, a child must be:
under the age of 18
a legal citizen or resident of the United States
uninsured or under-insured
financially unable to provide their physician with a co-pay
HOW
Visit allchildrensee.org for more information or to see if a child qualifies for a referral to one of All Children See’s volunteer ophthalmologists nationwide.
EXCLUDED
Eyeglasses, prescription drugs, hospital services, and fees of other medical professionals. Information about how to access these resources are available on the allchildrensee.org website and the patient’s physician may be able to help navigate a pathway to ensuring the child has the care he/she needs.
CONTACTS
Christine Keightley
Visit: allchildrensee.org