Vision USA

Media How-To-Guide

VISION USA Open year-round

VISION USA, started nationwide in 1991, is a program developed by doctors of optometry who are members of the American Optometric Association. This program has served over 314,000 low income working Americans and will serve more by accepting applications 12 months a year.

What's Happening Now?

More than 40 million low-income, working people in the United States cannot afford the cost of routine eye care or the health insurance that covers it. As income earners, they don't qualify for government aid and private health-care assistance.
Beginning July 1, 2002, VISION USA is a year-round program. VISION USA can help these people by providing basic eye health and vision care services free of charge to the many uninsured low-income people and their families who have no other means of obtaining care.

Your Charity Needs You

Nothing provides greater satisfaction than helping those who need assistance. Participating in VISION USA will give you the opportunity to share the satisfaction over 7,000 of your colleagues feel when providing eye care services to families who are working, barely earning enough for the necessities of life and have no insurance or other financial means to insure the health of their eyes.
Services provided through VISION USA include a comprehensive eye examination; diagnosis of eye health and/or vision problems; provision of a prescription for eyeglasses when needed; and referral to other health care professionals when appropriate. Provision of eyewear and eligibility thresholds may vary from state to state.
If you would be willing to donate up to eight eye exams or would like additional VISION USA information, call 800/365-2219, ext. 261, or e-mail dfox@aoa.org. Previous volunteers have been retained on file and need not register again.

Publicity

New materials have been developed to help you promote VISION USA in your community. To request FREE brochures and/or posters, contact VISION USA, 800/365-2219, ext. 261.

To help with your PR efforts, click on the Media How To Guide below for useful information on promoting the program. The guide includes a media advisory, news release and public service announcement.

Media How To Guide

Eligibility

To receive these free vision services, individuals must:

Be working or part of a household with one member working at least part time.
Have no insurance that covers eye examinations.
Have an income below an established level based on household size.
Have not had an eye examination in the past 24 months.

If an individual or family is eligibility (eligibility thresholds may vary by state), they will be matched with a volunteer doctor of optometry who will provide a comprehensive eye exam at no charge. Eyewear may also be provided at no cost or for a small fee/donation in some states.

How To Apply

Beginning July 1, 2002:

Visit the website: www.aoa.org/x5607.xml or
Write to VISION USA, 243 North Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141 or
Call us at 1-800/766-4466, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., CST, Monday through Friday.

Related Information

As part of VISION USA's support of "America's Promise," a program founded by General Colin Powell to help youth, we made a commitment to provide information on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). SCHIP provides affordable health insurance to children and youth in working families. To obtain information about the free and affordable coverage available in your state, you can call a toll-free hotline 1-877-KIDS NOW. This number will connect parents of potentially eligible children directly with people in their state who can assist them in enrolling in the state children's health insurance programs. Please note, the program may be called something other than SCHIP in your state.