MAHONING VALLEY Free vision screenings are available for kids

Free screening sessions will take place today in Boardman.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- Children who need glasses to start the new school year still have a chance to get them for free.
LensCrafters and United Way of Trumbull County are sponsoring free screenings for children from low-income families in Trumbull and Mahoning counties from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Boardman LensCrafters store.
Screening sessions also took place Tuesday in Niles.
John Wilson, store manager for LensCrafters in Niles, said each screening takes about three to four minutes, and children in kindergarten through 12th grade who are found in need of glasses will be scheduled for a follow-up appointment with the company's Vision Van in the fall.
The Vision Van is a 40-foot van staffed with volunteers who man two fully-equipped eye exam stations. The van will stop in Niles Sept. 13 and in Boardman on Sept. 14.
Pre-screening needed
Only those who have had pre-screening will be given an appointment with the Vision Van, Wilson said.
So far, Wilson said, there are still plenty of appointments left for the Vision Van visit in the fall.
"If, after the Boardman screenings, we find that we still have some appointments available, then we might schedule another pre-screening session on another evening," he said.
Registration is not required for any of the pre-screening sessions, Wilson said. Those interested should go to the store in the Boardman Plaza this evening.
The screenings and the follow-up appointments are provided by United Way of Trumbull County and LensCrafters' Give the Gift of Sight program.
For information on the Vision Van program, contact Wilson at (330) 652-5200.
slshaulis@vindy.com