DALLAS—The Essilor Vision Foundation has announced its sponsorship of Optometry Cares-The AOA Foundation's “Healthy Eyes Healthy Children” grant program for the third year. This program awards grants of up to $5,000 to optometrists who focus on collaborative efforts that spread awareness of children’s vision health, and increase vision services within their community, focusing on underserved children. The goal of this program is to make children’s health a national imperative. In 2017, the HEHC program awarded 14 grants. They awarded 15 in 2018. Previous grant recipients include Worcester EYES, a partnership between the School of Optometry at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) and Worcester Public Schools that provides eye exams and eyeglasses at no cost to children in need; Columbia River Eye Care Cooperative, which provides eye exams and eyeglasses to uninsured and low-income children in eastern Oregon; and My First Eye Exam, an interactive exhibit where children and adults can interact with optical equipment, created by a partnership between the New Mexico Optometric Association and Explora, a science center in Albuquerque.

Grant applications are open from now until July 2, 2019. For more information on applying, please visit www.aoafoundation.org/hehc.