NBA Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans and VSP® Vision Care Provide Free Eye Exams to Students in Chester, Pennsylvania

CHESTER, Pa. and RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- VSP® Vision Care and 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans provided students at New Beginnings Academy, in Chester, Penn., on Tuesday with no-cost comprehensive eye examinations. New Beginnings Academy, formally The American Christian Academy, is Evans' alma mater.  Evans also provided all students who attended with free Nike sunglasses.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100909/NY62202 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100909/NY62202 )

The event promoted the importance of eyecare for students' overall health and educational success.  For many students, this was the first time they had a comprehensive eye examination.  

"It was great to be able to give back to my community and bring the mobile eyecare clinic to New Beginnings Academy. Partnering with VSP Vision Care gave these students the opportunity to get an eye exam and glasses before school started," said Tyreke Evans.

Eyecare is a vital part of children's overall health and directly related to school performance. It's estimated that as much as 80 percent of what a child learns is through his or her eyes. Eye doctors recommend that children receive their first eye exam at six months. However, only an estimated 14 percent of children receive comprehensive eye exams before entering kindergarten or first grade.

"Yesterday the students at New Beginnings, received more than just an eye exam, they received the opportunity to do better in the classroom, on the court and at home," said Jill Wingert, Principal of New Beginnings Academy.  

During the event 25 students received back-to-school eye exams from Dr. Becky Verna on the VSP Mobile Eyes Program's newest 41-foot mobile eyecare clinic. The mobile clinic features state-of-the-art comprehensive-eye-exam rooms, an eyewear dispensary and full-service lens finishing lab, where students selected their frames and received their prescription glasses.

"Annual eye exams are a critical component in overall wellness and can detect signs of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.  Additionally, vision problems have been directly linked to behavioral and learning problems in school," said Connie Vavricek, VSP Mobile Clinics Manager. "The VSP Mobile Eyes Program is proud to be working with Tyreke Evans, Dr. Verna and the great staff at New Beginnings Academy to provide students in Chester, PA with eye exams before the school year begins."

For more information about the VSP Mobile Eyes® program, visit www.vsp.com/community.

About VSP Global

VSP Global(SM) includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 55 million members; Marchon® Eyewear Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers, designers and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity®/Officemate® which offer innovative solutions and the premier management software and technology to improve overall practice management and patient experience; VSP Labs, industry leaders in new technologies, production processes, service and logistics.  

Since 1997, VSP has provided more than 584,000 low-income, uninsured children with free eyecare. Through relationships including those with the American Diabetes Association and Prevent Blindness America, VSP promotes the importance of annual eye exams for maintaining eye health and overall wellness.

SOURCE VSP Vision Care