Erie public school students receive free vision screenings, glasses through mobile program

David Bruce, Erie Times-News
·4 min read

Roblei Mustaf has relied on friends ever since she broke her glasses about a year ago.

Mustaf, a seventh-grade student at East Middle School, is so nearsighted that she has trouble seeing the biggest letter on the eyechart.

"I can see OK to right about here," said Mustaf, 13, holding her finger a few inches in front of her eyes. "In class, I get friends to tell me what's on the board."

Roblei Mustaf, 13, tries on eyeglass frames as Ashly Espiritusanto, event coordinator for Optical Academy, holds a mirror during a Glasses2Classes free eyeglass event Feb. 20 at East Middle School.
Roblei Mustaf, 13, tries on eyeglass frames as Ashly Espiritusanto, event coordinator for Optical Academy, holds a mirror during a Glasses2Classes free eyeglass event Feb. 20 at East Middle School.

Mustaf isn't the only Erie School District student with vision problems. About 16% of district students have failed their 2023-24 vision screening, even though they are permitted to wear their glasses or contact lenses for the test.

Many students either wear corrective lenses with outdated prescriptions or have never been fitted for glasses or contact lenses, said Kerry Roach, R.N., the district's health service supervisor. Issues include a lack of vision insurance and transportation to the eye doctor.

"Not having corrected vision has such a huge impact on a student's ability to read, to see the board, to take tests," Roach said. "It certainly impacts their ability to learn."

In an effort to correct more students' vision, the district is using $80,000 in stimulus money to hire the Optical Academy to bring the Glasses2Classes program to 13 elementary and middle schools. The program screens all students and provides a free pair of eyeglasses to those who need them.

Better vision: Erie School District takes step in helping students with poor eyesight

Which Erie public schools will host Glasses2Classes?

Glasses2Classes will visit the following schools between Wednesday and March 1:

  • Diehl Elementary School at 2327 Fairmount Parkway

  • Edison Elementary School at 1921 E. Lake Road

  • Grover Cleveland Elementary School at 1540 W. 38th St.

  • Harding Elementary School at 820 Lincoln Ave.

  • Jefferson Elementary School at 230 E. 38th St.

  • JoAnna Connell Elementary School at 1820 E. 38th St.

  • Lincoln Elementary School at 831 E. 31st St.

  • McKinley Elementary School at 933 E. 22nd St.

  • Perry Elementary School at 955 W. 29th St.

  • Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School at 235 E. 11th St.

  • Strong Vincent Middle School at 1330 W. 8th St.

  • Woodrow Wilson Middle School at 718 E. 28th St.

An optometrist's office set up at East Middle School

Students began trickling into East Middle School's auditorium just after 9 a.m. Tuesday. A temporary optometrist's office had been set up, complete with vision screening machines, a phoropter to measure eyeglass prescriptions, hundreds of eyeglass frames and boxes of prescription lenses.

Vittorio Mena, an optometrist with Optical Academy, determines the prescription Ke'Zarria Wayne needs for her new glasses. Wayne, 11, received her new free glasses during an Glasses2Classes event at East Middle School on Feb. 20.
Vittorio Mena, an optometrist with Optical Academy, determines the prescription Ke'Zarria Wayne needs for her new glasses. Wayne, 11, received her new free glasses during an Glasses2Classes event at East Middle School on Feb. 20.

"Every student is getting screened and anyone with vision of 20/40 or worse in either eye comes to me to determine their prescription," said Vittorio Mena, an Optical Academy optometrist.

School districts in Pennsylvania are required to provide vision screenings and inform families of the results. The district has previously worked with Vision To Learn to conduct screenings and offer eyeglasses at some schools, but that company couldn't provide optometrists.

The district then turned to the United Way of Erie County, which reached out to the Optical Academy and its Glasses2Classes mobile unit.

'These are clear and cute'

Ke'Zarria Wayne, 11, has worn glasses for about two years but lost them earlier this month. The sixth grader has been asking her teachers to sit in the front of the class in order to see the board.

Mena figured out her prescription, handed her a paper and told her to head up to the stage, where Ashly Espiritusanto, Optical Academy's event coordinator, helped her choose an eyeglass frame and held a mirror so Wayne could see how she looked.

After a few minutes trying different styles and colors of frames, Wayne made her decision.

Ashly Espiritusanto, an event coordinator with Optical Academy, helps Ke'Zarria Wayne, 11, try frames for a new pair of glasses. Wayne received a free pair of glasses Feb. 20 during a Glasses2Classes event at East Middle School.
Ashly Espiritusanto, an event coordinator with Optical Academy, helps Ke'Zarria Wayne, 11, try frames for a new pair of glasses. Wayne received a free pair of glasses Feb. 20 during a Glasses2Classes event at East Middle School.

"I like these," Wayne said. "These are clear and cute."

Wayne returned to class while Wellienton Jimenez, an Optical Academy lab technician, customized her lenses using three portable machines.

"They already come with the prescription, but we need to make sure the pupillary distance (distance between centers of the pupils) is correct, otherwise the kid will see a little distorted," Jimenez said. "We also cut the actual shape of the lenses."

Lenses for some students, like Mustaf, were not available on site, so she will have to wait a few days for her glasses. Wayne was able to receive her glasses in time for lunch.

Wayne smiled when she put them on and posed for a few photos.

"I can see both up close and far away," she said.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Glasses2Classes visits East Middle School for screenings, free eyewear