Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the launch of the OhioSEE program, which aims to provide free eye exams and glasses for young students in 15 counties. The initiative is designed to support learning by addressing vision issues among children. DeWine made this announcement on the social media platform X.

"Children must be able to see clearly in order to read, which is absolutely essential to a child's learning process," said Mike Dewine, Governor of Ohio. "Today, Director Bruce Vanderhoff and I are excited to share that the new OhioSEE program will serve kindergarten through 3rd-grade students in 15 high-priority counties to make sure children are getting the comprehensive vision care they need."

The Ohio Student Eye Exam Program (OhioSEE) was established in the 2025–26 state budget with a $10 million allocation. It plans to deploy mobile vision vans and set up in-school clinics for kindergarten through third-grade students who fail state screenings. The program will begin operations in early 2026, targeting areas where over 80% of children who fail screenings do not receive follow-up care. According to Spectrum News 1, parents will not encounter costs or transportation challenges.

According to reports from Ohio, only about 25% of children who fail school vision screenings receive necessary follow-up care, leaving nearly 250,000 students without needed glasses. Programs like Vision To Learn have intervened by providing more than 4,000 exams and pairs of glasses in Cleveland and Lorain through a $650,000 grant, serving approximately 15,000 students.

While access to school-based vision care is expanding in Ohio, gaps remain when compared to national averages. Optometry Times reported that about 53% of U.S. children under 17 had a vision screening in recent surveys; however, Ohio data indicate particularly low follow-up rates in rural and underinsured counties. Efforts such as the Ohio Children’s Vision Strike Force aim to address these disparities through statewide expansion of programs for kindergarten through third grade.

Governor DeWine has served as Ohio's governor since his election as the state's 70th governor in 2018 and subsequent reelection in 2022. His previous roles include U.S. Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. A graduate of Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, DeWine has focused on early literacy reforms, school choice initiatives, and children's health programs like OhioSEE to mitigate learning barriers caused by untreated vision problems.