Vision health kits distributed to 20,000 coaches and teachers

In an effort to educate physical education teachers, coaches and parents about the importance of eye safety in sports for children, Check Yearly. See Clearly. and the National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE) have partnered to distribute eye safety kits. Over 20,000 kits were distributed to NASPE members and physical education teachers earlier this month.

'Partnering with NASPE is great because it gives us grassroots access to teachers and coaches in thousands of communities,' said Ed Greene, CEO for the Vision Council of America (VCA). 'We hope that the eye safety kits will empower them to promote the importance of wearing sports protective eyewear.'

The kit includes a vibrant poster highlighting the 'do's and 'don'ts' of emergency eye care treatment. In addition, the kit also provides teachers and coaches with a fact sheet, 'Help Protect Your Child's Vision,' that can be photocopied and distributed to parents.

'With this kit, we are enabling our physical education teachers and coaches to really drive home the importance of sports eye safety to their students and team members,' said Charlene R. Burgeson, Executive Director of NASPE. 'By educating children about eye safety early in life, we hope they will remember to take care of their vision throughout life.'

In only one week, requests have already been received for hundreds of additional eye safety kits. Many recipients expressed gratitude for the kits, citing the need for parents to understand the importance of preventing sports-related eye injuries. 'Thank you…students need visual reminders,' said Kathy Kent, a physical education and health teacher in Simpsonville, South Carolina. 'I also intend to give one to my eyecare professional in our town.'