A Clear-Eyed Solution: A Vision Screener Helps Montezuma-Cortez School District Support Student Learning

Every year, some Cortez children start school with undiagnosed vision problems that can impede their learning. While the local Cortez Lions Club once provided vision screenings for young students, the group recently ended this vital service. The Montezuma-Cortez School District’s health services team saw an opportunity to fill this new gap, so one staff member reached out to LOR with an idea. LOR’s funding will help the district purchase a handheld vision screener that can quickly detect vision problems in children as young as six months old. This portable device, which takes pictures of students’ eyes and generates detailed reports that can be shared with an eye doctor, will help the district’s health staff provide eye screenings directly to students, ensuring pre-kindergarten and special needs students get the attention they deserve.