Eagles Eye Mobile

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The Eagles Eye Mobile is a 36-foot RV converted into a mobile eye examination office. It is a program of the Eagles Youth Partnership, the charitable wing of the Philadelphia Eagles in partnership with St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

[edit] Mission

The Eagles Eye Mobile provides free vision examinations, prescription glasses, and follow-up care for thousands of children who typically lack access to vision care. The Eagles Eye Mobile travels to public and charter elementary and middle schools in Philadelphia and Chester. It has a continuing mission of detecting amblyopia and referring such cases for treatment.

Using the "star power" of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Eye Mobile hopes to alleviate the fear of going to a traditional doctor's office while creating excitement about wearing glasses.

[edit] History

The Eagles Eye Mobile was co-founded in 1996 by former Philadelphia Eagles pro-bowl guard Jermaine Mayberry. Mayberry was undiagnosed with amblyopia throughout childhood, and diagnosed too late for treatment. This led to a $100,000 contribution to Eagles Youth Partnership for inception of the Eye Mobile program.

Since inception, Eagles Youth Partnership has examined the eyes of more than 16,000 children in the school districts of Philadelphia and Chester-Upland. A large majority of the students examined needed and received free prescription eyeglasses and many others underwent amblyopia treatment and vision-saving surgery.

[edit] Staff

The Eagles Eye Mobile is staffed by an optometrist working for the department of ophthalmology at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, a staff member who fits and measures frames that the children pick, and two certified paraoptometrics, one of whom doubles as driver.