Save Our Sight funds are awarded to qualifying nonprofit organizations that can offer vision services in all counties of the state and have demonstrated experience in the delivery of vision services. Proposals are submitted in February to ODH through an established grant process and are awarded yearly in April.

• Save Our Sight Legislation/Rules
  
• Grant Information and Application

Protective Eyewear

The Ohio Ophthalmological Society's "Play Hard. Don't Blink." sports eye safety program, works with Ohio youth leagues to prevent sports eye injuries through education and the donation of protective eyewear.  In the nine years since the program's inception, more than 45,000 pieces of protective eyewear have been distributed to more than 8,600 teams throughout Ohio.  An estimated 129,195 children are benefiting from the use of the equipment and more than 2,500 eye injuries have been prevented.


Vision Health and Safety Education Programs

Prevent Blindness Ohio (PBO) provides hands-on learning opportunities for Ohio’s children, their caretakers and educators about the importance of eye health and safety.  Educational programs that travel to public venues include the Wise About Eyes exhibit and the Wild About Eyes kiosk - both of which feature visits from PBO's wise owl mascot, Merlin. A permanent exhibit about eye health and safety is in the Little Kidspace display area at COSI Columbus. 

PBO also offers an exhibits-to-go program based on the Wise About Eyes exhibit that brings the eye health and safety messages directly into kindergarten through grade six classrooms across Ohio.  The Play It Safe With Your Eyes curricula is given to each classroom that participates in an exhibits-to-go program so the important messages about eye health and safety can be taught to students year after year.  The One Pair of Eyes eye health and eye safety curricula is designed to educate students in grades seven through twelve about how to keep their eyes safe and healthy.

The Realeyes Classroom Initiative, developed by the Ohio Optometric Association and funded by the Save Our Sight Fund, educates Ohio students on the importance of vision care and eye safety. Using an age-appropriate, interactive, standardized and fun program, a local optometrist teaches children about eye health and anatomy. The Realeyes program is provided at no cost to schools, libraries and community groups. The Ohio Optometric Association facilitates scheduling. Rhet and Tina is for grades kindergarten through two; Vinnie Vision for grades three through five and Vision Impossible for middle school.

The Ohio Ophthalmological Society is piloting an eye safety and injury prevention education program for students engaged in vocational training activities.  The program will work directly with students enrolled in high school vocational programs and youth learning industrial skills in community-based settings to promote the importance of vocational eye protection.


Vision Screener Trainer Program

Prevent Blindness Ohio (PBO) provides preschool vision screening training, certification and vision screening kits for child care providers, nurses, teachers and health care professionals practicing in primary care settings and community volunteers to ensure that preschool children in Ohio have healthy vision for life.  PBO also collaborates with the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to present a medical education program to pediatric and family practice medical residency programs and nursing programs in Ohio to increase their knowledge about eye health and the importance of vision assessment in young children.

The Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) in partnership with the Ohio Association of Free Clinics, is piloting a comprehensive Children’s Vision Screening Training Program for people working with underserved children throughout the state.  The trainings provide Free Clinic staff, volunteers, preschool teachers and staff, child care staff and others with a standardized set of skills and knowledge to accurately detect eye and vision health conditions, properly refer to doctors and ensure follow-up appointments are kept.


The Ohio Amblyope (Lazy Eye) Registry

The Ohio Amblyope Registry is the first and only registry in the United States for children with amblyopia, (commonly known as lazy eye), their parents and eye doctors.  The Ohio Amblyope Registry is a partnership among departments of Ophthalmology divisions at leading children’s hospitals throughout Ohio, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Akron Children’s Hospital, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital as well as ophthalmologists and optometrists throughout the state. 

The Ohio Amblyope Registry provides literature about amblyopia and its causes and treatments, treatment supplies and case management services. 

The Ohio Amblyope Registry's Web site is located at:
http://www.OhioAmblyopeRegistry.com 

In addition to useful information, the Web site provides a database of more than 700 eye doctors in Ohio who see children with amblyopia.  All written information, treatment supplies and services provided by the Ohio Amblyope Registry are free and for children in Ohio.