SEE International Brings “Eyes Of Hope” To Santa Maria For National Eye Exam Month

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Roughly a hundred Santa Maria residents received eye exams and related eyewear for free.

The VSP Eyes of Hope mobile clinic visited Santa Maria today, and it will be in Lompoc tomorrow.

August is National Eye Exam Month, and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department collaborated with SEE International and VSP Vision to provide the services.

Qualifying residents receive free exams and prescription glasses, meeting a vital need for those without access to vision care.

The 40-foot mobile clinic was set up at Centerpointe Parkway in Santa Maria from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

The clinic will be at the Lompoc Health Center on North R Street on Friday at the same time.

Event organizers say nearly 1 in 10 adults avoided healthcare during the previous year, primarily due to cost.

They say both the risks of going without vision care and the barriers to getting it are worse for anyone experiencing homelessness.

Volunteering optometrists say a person’s education, employment, and overall quality of life benefits from regular vision care, but too many are unable to access it.

VSP Eyes of Hope mobile clinics have partnered with eye doctors and communities for more than two decades and have served nearly five million people nationwide.

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