New England Eye/Renaissance School Vision Center (NEERSVC): A partnership between the New England Eye Institute (NEEI) and Boston Renaissance Charter Public School (BRCPS)

Vision problems can have a negative impact on many aspects of a child's well-being, including school performance, physical activity, self-esteem and safety. However, many parents do not seek eye care for their children due to a myriad of barriers, even if referred after a school vision screening.

The responsibility of ensuring that children receive follow-up eye care after school screenings falls largely on school health personnel. However, it is often difficult to get timely feedback regarding whether care was accessed and if treatment was implemented. This makes it difficult for school personnel to relay their concerns to eye care providers and to support vision-related recommendations while the child is at school.

BRCPS and NEEI have collaborated to establish the NEERSVC, a full-service eye clinic located directly in the BRCPS. This onsite school-based clinic provides an excellent venue to coordinate the resources and expertise needed to help local children receive timely, comprehensive eye care so that they are better prepared to succeed in school.

The primary goal of this collaboration is to eliminate vision problems in this pediatric population by improving access to care, creating a concrete link between school screenings and follow-up eye care, providing educational seminars to caregivers and professionals about eye care services, vision and learning, and by promoting a cohesive approach to implementing successful treatment.

Case examples will highlight barriers that children face in accessing eye care and reinforce the importance of novel collaborative approaches to pediatric eye care delivery.