The University of San Diego Health has launched the new Shiley EyeMobile for children, a mobile eyecare vehicle set to provide care for 20,000 children a year.
The vehicle was funded by a recent estate gift from a former UC San Diego patient, replacing the previous EyeMobile, which had been in use for 15 years.
Shiley EyeMobile plans to visit 250 preschools in low-income neighborhoods this year, providing care to children at no cost to their families.
The appointments will include a vision screening, dilated eye exams, a free pair of glasses if needed and follow-up monitoring.
Since the EyeMobile program launched in 2001, 250,000 kids across San Diego county have been screened.
"The new EyeMobile will allow us to continue providing a critical service to families. When children can see, they are able to learn, which then expands the educational opportunities for under-represented students," Iliana Molina, director of the Shiley EyeMobile, said in a Jan. 11 press release.