Optical store provides free eye exam

BETTER VISION- Cheryl Christie of LensCrafters and Patricia Calderon of the Moorpark Food Pantry, center, administer a depth perception test to a client. The free exam was given to 58 lowincome individuals who will also receive new glasses if needed.

Many of the 58 people who came for an eye exam at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry last week live with poor vision because they cannot afford an eye checkup.

The free exam was offered by employees of Simi Valley's LensCrafters store.

The event precedes LensCrafters' national "Hometown Day" when associates and doctors at stores across the country provide free eye checkups and new glasses to those in need.

Most of the individuals who visited the food pantry for the exam last week were women between the ages of 20 and 60 as the event took place on a weekday morning when children and men were either at school or at work.

The test at the Moorpark Food Pantry was primarily a screening to identify significant uncorrected vision deficit, said John Rak, resource director for Catholic Charities in Ventura County.

"Several women had very poor vision," he said.

About 25 individuals with the worst eyesight will receive a free followup exam with an optometrist at LensCrafters in Simi Valley next month and they'll also receive a pair of corrective eyeglasses.

Patricia Calderon, client resource coordinator for the Moorpark Food Pantry, said this was the first time that such services were offered at the food pantry for uninsured individuals.

Generally, only people who have some form of insurance such as Medicare or Medi-Cal get help, she said.

- Sylvie Belmond