Too many students - one in four in the United States - cannot access vision care to correct vision problems that often affect school performance and personal growth. The problem is not confined to small villages in disadvantaged countries in the world, but is also prevalent in many urban, suburban, and rural areas even in affluent countries, where people cannot access health and vision care due to lack of insurance, financial need, transportation and other barriers.

To provide much-needed access to vision care, OneSight pioneered a sustainable vision care model for students and families in 2012, building permanent, self-sustaining centers within public schools and in collaboration with skilled partners and local institutions.

The launch of the school-based vision center project in Bakersfield is the culmination of a long-standing partnership between OneSight and Advanced Center for Eyecare, a non-profit organization that provides eye care to the local community (Bakersfield and Kern County). Since 2012, OneSight has hosted an annual vision care clinic to provide eye exams and glasses to Bakersfield students, serving more than 3,600 students over the course of five years.

The natural evolution of this partnership has led to the creation of four new vision centers. These are permanent structures - built within schools with the support of Oakley – that will offer eye care throughout the year, keeping students in school and ready to learn. The students will receive care during the school day, without requiring the parents to leave work.

The goal of the project is to provide access to all 31,000 students in Bakersfield City Schools over the course of the next two years. By adding vision care, the existing school-based health centers - which currently provide medical, behavioral, and dental care - will become one of the first centers of integrated medical care in schools in California.