WASHINGTON, Utah — Seventh-grader Malkata never thought she needed glasses, but when she put on her first pair during a free eye clinic Thursday, her smile said everything.
"No, I did not think I needed them," Malkata said after learning she would be getting glasses. She admitted she had been having trouble seeing the board at school.
Malkata was one of dozens of students from kindergarten through 12th grade throughout southern Utah who came to Crimson Cliffs Middle School for the SightFest eye clinic. The event, organized by the nonprofit Friends for Sight, provides free eye exams and glasses to low-income families without insurance or Medicaid access.
Friends for Sight has been hosting the clinics in northern Utah for 10 years, but this marked their first SightFest in southern Utah. They already say they’ll be back.
All the children invited had been identified by school nurses as having vision problems, but lacked the financial means to address them. Some had gone months or even years without proper eye care. The clinic used the same expensive equipment found in any optometrist's office, providing comprehensive eye exams at no cost to families.
"...we're really grateful," said Paola Zarate, whose son Paul received an eye exam. "We're really grateful for this."
Paul said he believes the glasses will help him "see better and see in reading and stuff."
Private donations and volunteers make the clinic possible, including optometrists like Dr. Steven Blake from Little Valley Eye Care. While Blake may not receive his usual payment, he said the experience provides something invaluable.
"It's amazing because every time I do that, it's fun to see the smile that comes and the surprise sometimes that they haven't needed glasses, and then we get to have that first experience of the joy that comes," Blake said. "It's amazing because they don't have that experience before. It's a whole new change in their life."
Jamie Justice, executive director of Friends4Site, emphasized the educational impact of proper vision care.
"One of the biggest predictors of whether you're going to succeed in the classroom is if you can see," Justice said. "We know that if folks don't get the glasses that they need to succeed in school, they're more likely to drop out."
Justice said the most rewarding moment comes when they return to deliver the glasses.
"The best is actually when we come back and we deliver the glasses and then you get to see them sing for the first time," Justice said. "That's magical."
