New community partnership launched to provide free vision care services for Akron-area children

Davis Vision, Prevent Blindness Ohio and Summa Hospital's Ophthalmology Department have launched an ongoing community partnership to provide needy Akron-area children with free vision care services.

In collaboration with Prevent Blindness Ohio's Vision Care Outreach Program, the Summa Hospital Department of Ophthalmology currently provides free or reduced cost eye examinations to underserved children and adults in the greater Akron area. Davis Vision's Focus on America® community outreach program is pleased to join the partnership and provide patients in need of vision correction with free eyeglasses at participating Eyemasters retail locations.

"We are thrilled to partner with Davis Vision on this initiative, which we expect will help about 70 individuals each month," said Kira Baldonado, director of marketing and community services at Prevent Blindness Ohio. "Many of these patients would not otherwise receive vision care or eyeglasses, so this is a great service to the community."

This is Davis Vision's first community partnership in Ohio. Similar partnerships are in place in Baltimore, Memphis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. More than $600,000 in vision services have been provided to underprivileged populations since Focus on America's inception in 2008.