Low-Income Eye Care Program Looking to Boost Enrollment

Doctors in Washington are hoping to increase the enrollment in a program that provides free eye exams and "low-cost" follow-up care, including glasses and sometimes surgery, to low-income, working families, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Vision USA, a nationwide program with more than 300,000 participants administered by the American Optometric Association, serves "on average" approximately 550 Washington residents, with enrollment "down significantly" last year. Dana Cocke, a Tacoma-area optometric physician and coordinator of the state's Vision USA program, "hopes to boost the number of patients" in the state to "at least" 1,000, with open enrollment running through Jan. 23. The News Tribune reports that in order to qualify, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Have a job or reside in a household with at least one working member.
• Have no health insurance that covers eye exams.
• Have an income "below an established level based on household size."
• Have had no eye exams in the past two years.