Free Eye Exam and Glasses for Kids

An eye exam and new pair of glasses — as well as a visit with Santa Claus — will be offered to children at no cost this Sunday morning at the Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory as part of the 20th annual Kids Day. Working in tandem, the Eyeglass Factory will contribute the lenses after Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International provides the ophthalmologists to conduct the screenings.

Though SEE International’s primary mission is to restore the sight of disadvantaged individuals around the globe, the Santa Barbara nonprofit serves people in the area through its local program known as the Santa Barbara Vision Care Program. Year-round, the Eyeglass Factory, SEE International, Lions Sight & Hearing Clinic, and other nonprofits operate the Right to Sight program, which assisted more than 1,000 area residents last year and has provided more than $1 million in eye care in its 20 years of operation.

Eye care is the focus on Sunday, though hearing and nutrition services, as well as diabetes screenings, will also be provided. Clinic on Wheels (COW) and the Waterford Project van — which teaches preschoolers English — will also chip in resources.