WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Two-year-old Walker Clearwater visited North Central Sight Services in Williamsport to get his eyes checked out.
"Walker was tripping a lot, falling a lot, cant do steps, he would be very close to the TV and something was just off," said Rochelle Winter, Walker's grandmother.
Walker was able to be seen thanks to North Central Sight Services' Functional Vision Clinic. The clinic treats kids from eligible families.
"This is amazing. This is amazing, especially for the special needs children who don't understand what is going on," added Winter.
"It is free of charge if they meet income requirements and they make an appointment through our front desk and they come in and we do eye screenings and check and make sure everything is okay with their eyes," said Kim Zimmer, the CEO & President of North Central Sight Services.
The clinic is run by two optometrists in the Williamsport area. Both doctor's donate their time to work at the clinic. Dr. Michael Bonner says every child should get routine screenings.
"A child's eyes go through rapid changes during their first six years of life and fewer than 15% of pre-school children receive an eye exam by an eye doctor," said Dr. Bonner.
Recently the clinic received a donation of brand new eye equipment. After kids are looked at, it is determined if they will need glasses or sometimes something more serious like surgery.
"Once it is determined that the child needs glasses, we refer them to our remedial eye care and we make sure they get the glasses they need," Zimmer said. "If they need care beyond that then we make sure they get those resources outside of our services as well."
The clinics will run once a month. Families who qualify can contact North Central Sight Services directly to try and set up an appointment.