Prevent Blindness Ohio’s (PBO) Vision Care Outreach (VCO) Program provides donated, comprehensive eye care, including professional eye exams, education, and eyewear for medically underserved Ohioans. VCO can be offered to children and adults after a vision screening or following a risk assessment conversation. Individuals living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, who are uninsured or underinsured, and those facing barriers to care can benefit from this program.
For school nurses and educators, VCO can support both students and their eligible family members. We often hear that family follow-up after failed vision screenings can be challenging and time-consuming. Expanding referrals to family members may improve engagement and increase access to comprehensive vision care for students and caregivers alike.
Through their VCO program, PBO has assembled a system of donated eye care for Ohioans who are uninsured and underinsured. PBO, in effect, acts as a virtual free clinic providing access to essential vision services, including a comprehensive dilated eye exam from a licensed eye care provider, a basic pair of eyeglasses, and access to low-cost financial assistance resources for surgery/aftercare.
Clients who need eye care are referred to PBO through a statewide network of referring partner organizations or served directly by PBO staff. PBO currently has hundreds of partner organizations referring clients to the program. These partner organizations include health departments, free clinics, re-entry programs, schools, and other social service organizations. Partner organizations qualify clients for the program and submit their applications online.
PBO then provides an information packet to the partner organization or directly to the client containing a list of eye doctors and eyeglass providers in the client’s immediate area, where they can obtain eye care services. The VCO team works hard to ensure that all VCO applications are processed (reviewed, eligibility determined, data entered, and voucher/gift certificate and provider location information put in the mail) no later than three business days of receiving the application.
If you are an Ohio-based organization and would like to learn more about the VCO program and how to become a partner who can refer children and parents for free vision services, please contact PBO at [email protected].
In addition, PBO has a new resource to further assist parents in need of vision services for their children who may have insurance but are unsure of what they have or how to access it. PBO developed a dedicated webpage to help individuals better understand and navigate the complex systems of Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage. This resource provides straightforward steps to empower people to figure out their vision care coverage (if any), find participating providers, and understand what to expect when scheduling services. This new webpage can be found here.
