Zenni’s Gifts That Give Support Non-Profit Prevent Blindness

This holiday season, through Zenni’s Gifts That Give, we are proud to donate 25% of our gift card sales to the non-profit organization Prevent Blindness. These funds will enable Prevent Blindness to award vision screening certification scholarships to professionals in under-resourced communities. We will also give all scholarship recipients Zenni glasses vouchers to distribute to the communities they serve.

We are honored to deepen our partnership with Prevent Blindness, which began last summer during our Framing The Future Blokz Party with the Chicago Bulls, which benefitted Prevent Blindness’ Illinois Chapter. This past October, we came together again, this time in support of World Sight Day and its #loveyoureyes campaign, which shared the importance of eye exams.

Why Are Vision Screenings for Young Children Important?

Preschoolers rely on their vision to guide their learning. Through play, games and interaction, little ones develop the visually-guided eye-hand-body coordination, fine motor skills and visual perceptual abilities they need to learn, read and write. Vision screenings at this early age can help ensure kids’ eyesight is developing normally. Vision screeners can refer children for eye exams to determine whether they’ll need glasses or vision treatment.

In the United States, children’s vision screening requirements vary from state to state. In fact, only 26 of the 50 United States require vision screening for preschool-age children. (National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness, 2020). Therefore communities rely on programs through independent organizations like Prevent Blindness to provide early intervention to detect vision disorders in young children.

Image courtesy of Prevent Blindness

Zenni Creates Vision Screening Scholarship Program

To improve vision health equity, Prevent Blindness created a national training and certification program in children’s vision screening for professionals in early childcare, education and healthcare.

“Helping to provide access to quality eye care, and educating the public on vision and eye health issues is at the core of what we do every day, and has been since our founding more than 100 years ago,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.

Prevent Blindness’ vision screening certification program is used to consistently train professionals by using evidence-based tools and best-practice procedures.

Zenni’s scholarship program will provide professionals with free enrollment in Prevent Blindness’ vision certification program. Once certified, these professionals can help identify and treat thousands of children across the United States who are less likely to have access to care and have vision problems identified early. The Zenni glasses vouchers will benefit children at high-risk of vision disorders to help them see their world with clear vision and be ready to learn, play and improve their self-esteem.

How you can help 

Visit Prevent Blindness to learn more about the organization’s critical work to preserve sight and please consider gifting a /p/gift-certificate/prod20001″>Zenni gift card to someone you care for this holiday season.

Reference: National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness. 2020. Children’s Vision and Eye Health: A Snapshot of Current National Issues (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL