One hundred forty-eight children from across Puerto Peñasco will receive free eyeglasses following the 10th annual “Gift of Sight” vision clinic of VistAmerica, which has collaborated with the local Rotary Club for the event over the past seven clinics.
On October 7th, nearly 200 children took part in the vision clinic held at the ample meeting facilities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which has graciously provided the space for various health clinics over the years.
VistAmerica director, and also member of the local Rotary Club, Catalina Rios explained the children had gone through a pre-selection and registration process. She detailed several optometrists, optometry students, volunteers and family members from the U.S. and Hermosillo, worked in coordination with the local Rotary Club to help make the campaign a success.
Of the nearly 200 children examined during the recent vision clinic, 74% required glasses. These custom eyeglasses will be delivered to participants on Nov. 12th, and represent an investment of approximately 266,000 pesos (about $15,000 US).
Rios noted the main problem detected during the vision campaign was stigmatism, which generally is an issue with children’s vision from a very young age. Unfortunately, however, many of these situations were not detected earlier, which tends to complicate vision as one grows.
