Mission Statement

To give children the ability to thrive through access to essential vision services.

Impact

The ability to navigate the world with clear vision shouldn’t be a luxury. Still, Eye Thrive recognizes the extensive barriers – including expense, time, and transportation – that prevent too many families from accessing eye care for their children. Our flagship Mobile Vision Clinic program was developed to effectively eliminate these barriers by providing free comprehensive eye exams and new prescription glasses made and delivered on-site to kids at their schools and community centers in less than an hour. With two exam lanes, a frame board full of new, designer choices, and an on-board lab, the Mobile Vision Clinic is a true optometry center on wheels that can provide up to 40 kids with the eye exams and glasses they need during a single visit, making an immediate and measurable impact in their lives.

Since the Mobile Vision Clinic launch in 2013, Eye Thrive has partnered with dozens of school and community partners year after year and provided nearly 30,000 comprehensive eye exams and more than 30,000 pairs of prescription glasses to kids in need. Our team makes more than 150 visits to schools and community centers each year, focusing on high-need, traditionally under-resourced school districts and neighborhoods.

Eye Thrive’s wraparound services, including school vision screenings, allow Eye Thrive to reach even more kids than ever. More than 20,000 students at many of our partner schools will receive a school vision screening by a trained and certified Eye Thrive staff member this school year. If they fail that vision screening, with parental consent, they will receive a comprehensive eye exam and, if needed, glasses during a Mobile Vision Clinic visit to their school. Additional wraparound service components include duplicate pairs of glasses dispensed for students with high prescriptions for identified additional needs, medical referrals for follow-up care when needed, no-questions-asked replacement glasses shipped directly to home or school, and annual continuity of care for students at our partner schools.

With a deep commitment to providing the highest quality of care in a trusted, safe environment with trauma-informed staff, Eye Thrive is changing the game for kids in St. Louis. Dana Brown Charitable Trust has provided grants to help us meet our mission and expand programs to provide consistent vision services for underprivileged kids in St. Louis at several of the highest-need locations.