If you work at a school or are a principal, you might be wondering how you can get the Foureyes Foundation team into your school – hopefully your question is covered below, but if not please contact us through our Contact Us page.
Where are your clinics and do you have plans for more?
At the moment we have 4 clinics: Whaiora, Masterton; Poneke Medical Centre, Wellington; Maraeroa, Porirua; and Dargaville Medical, Dargaville. We’re eyeing up new locations in the communities we know really need them but our expansion depends on funding and support. We’ll get there!
How do your clinics work?
Our volunteer optometrists travel between our 4 clinics each month. We organise vision screening days with local schools and can screen about 200 kids a day with our special machine called the PlusOptix. The screening allows us to identify children who require a full eye test. We then refer them to the clinic for an eye test, and provide them with glasses if they need them.
I’m a principal of a school or a learning coordinator – how do I organise free screening for my kids?
If you’re a school located near one of our 4 clinics, please email us hello@foureyesfoundation.org.nz
Doesn’t the government provide free eye testing? Why do I need the Foureyes Foundation to do it?
Yes, there is a free national vision screening programme, run by the Ministry of Health, for pre-school children and at age 11-12 (Year 7). The B4 School Check includes a vision screening for amblyopia (lazy eye). At 11 or 12, children have their distance vision checked and boys are also checked for colour blindness.
Problems with near vision are not covered at any stage, plus children’s eyesight can also change a lot between ages 4 and 11 (which can make those years in between pretty tricky for a kid with eyesight issues).
The New Zealand Association of Optometrists recommends that children have their eyes examined at 6 to 12 months, again at age 2 to 3, before starting school, and then through their school years as indicated by vision screening or school performance. If you’re worried about your child’s vision, it’s important to get it checked by an optometrist.