Berkeley Vision

Healthy eyes and good vision are vital for a child’s cognitive and social development. It has been estimated that 80% of learning happens through vision, yet approximately 450 million children globally have uncorrected poor vision. Children with poor vision are three times more likely to fall behind in school, setting them up for an uncertain future.

Child eye health is an important and prioritized area of health care and well-designed, structured and sustainable approaches are needed to ensure all children can receive appropriate eye care services.  Many children simply need spectacles or contact lenses in order to obtain perfectly sharp vision. Myopia (nearsightedness) is clearly a top priority, but there is also a need to detect and correct hyperopia and astigmatism in young children. Some children will have visual impairments that cannot be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses and then low vision services or medical or surgical interventions may be required.

Children with impaired vision need to have easy and free access to eye care, treatment and rehabilitative services. Ensuring that all children have good sight is an investment in starting them off for success in life.

ABOUT

One School at a Time is a program of Berkeley Vision - Every Child Sees, designed to make eye care and low vision services accessible globally to all children. Its emphasis is on providing refractive services, in collaboration with worldwide partner organizations. The goal of the One School at a Time program is to eliminate childhood uncorrected refractive error by building support for sustainable eyecare practices globally.

PURPOSE 

One School at a Time is designed to accelerate and enhance access to eye care services to children, across the globe. The program focuses on four key areas. 

1. Creating Partnerships 

Partnerships will be the biggest contributing factor to the success of One School at a Time program. We are engaging education and health service care practitioners, NGOs, professional associations, government agencies, industry, private organizations) and donors, who are motivated and determined to mobilize resources to ensure accessible, and affordable high-quality eye care, including low vision services, for all children. Our collective goal is to bring a positive change to the lives of millions of children around the world, by eliminating uncorrected refractive errors. 

2. Raising Awareness and Expanding Knowledge 

Research is vital to driving awareness and advocating for change. We are committed to understanding and communicating the level of need for eye care services and the impact that the increasing prevalence of myopia is having on our children. The knowledge gained will demonstrate the missing link in complete health provision for children. 

3. Utilizing Local Expertise  

The program’s goal is simple - to ensure every child has access to eye care and vision correction by 2050. We can achieve this by supporting local communities and organizations and utilizing their expertise.  By working with local organizations who have expertise and knowledge of the existing health systems within their communities, we can not only be more effective, and efficient but also implement sustainable interventions. 

4. Supporting a range of services 

The program ensures access to comprehensive eye care services by providing, in addition to eye screening and examination, services like access to spectacles, low vision devices and other relevant assistive devices. This can be made possible through partnerships with relevant service providers and donors.

GET INVOLVED

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Your gift will help us to ensure that children around the world have the best chance for a future where they can see while and reach their highest potential.