Essilor Vision Foundation receives largest ever grant

The grant, courtesy of the “Aurizon Community Giving Fund”, will help the foundation screen around 700–800 school children at primary schools in Chinchilla, Brigalow, Dalby, Jondaryan, Oakey, Murphy’s Creek, Helidon, Ashwell and Grandchester, as well as Wilsonton in Toowoomba – a distance of around 240 kilometres.The screenings commenced yesterday and foundation CEO Mr Greg Johnson told Insight, he was hoping they would be completed by the end of the year.“The foundation was over the moon when it received the news about the success of its giving fund application,” he said.{{quote-A:R-W:400-I:2-Q:“We’ve been screening schools across Australia for almost three years, predominately in major cities. Aurizon has given us the opportunity to take our screening to places we’d never thought of visiting.”-who:Greg Johnson, EVF}}“We’ve been screening schools across Australia for almost three years, predominately in major cities. Aurizon has given us the opportunity to take our screening to places we’d never thought of visiting.”Final year students of QUT’s School of Optometry and Vision Science will perform the screenings under the supervision of volunteer local optometrists. Children who don’t meet the screening criteria will be referred for a comprehensive examination to optometry practices that have agreed to forego their usual fee and bulk-bill.If prescription spectacles are required they will also be provided at no cost.Mr Kev Taske, Aurizon’s regional operations manager based in Toowoomba said the company was delighted to fund the program.“With the program providing young children who have poor vision with a pair of spectacles and enabling th to be able read with confidence, or see a whiteboard more clearly, [it] will really make a difference,” Taske said.“We are looking forward to hearing more about the program’s results.”So far, the foundation has screened 7,051 children, with 2,666 referred to local optometrists for full assessment. More than 930 spectacles have been given to school children, not including other groups the foundation has helped, such as Indigenous Australians, refugees, people with mental illness, homeless people, and victims of domestic violence.