NEGRIL VISION CENTER

Dr. Parkin and the VisionAppoint Team Visit Cristo Rey High School

April 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bulk of our interactions with the world around us as well as our ability to learn as
humans occur through the receipt of visual information. According to a groundbreaking 
report by The Vision Council of America (VCA), however, more than 10 million children
school every year with an undetected vision problem.

Years ago, galvanized by this disturbing statistic, Dr. Desmond Parkin of VisionAppoint 
mobilized his team to reach out to students around the world. 

Again, on March 18, 2015 Dr. Parkin returned to Cristo Rey High School for the second time
in 2 years to offer free eye exams and eyeglasses to the students at Cristo Rey High
School, a college preparatory private high school in Brooklyn. Dr. Parkin has launched similar 
campaigns in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

How critical is vision care for school-aged children? Research by the VCA also concluded 
that as high as 70 percent of the two million children with reading comprehension problems have
some form of visual impairment; early diagnosis and vision correction is essential, states the
report, for academic success as well as detection of learning differences.

VisionAppoint team members Constant Jean-Baptiste, Sherrie Blidgen and Monique Fraser
supported Dr. Desmond Parkin and met Cristo Rey Dean Keisha Baptiste during an engaging
afternoon which included students learning about the importance of vision care while selecting
their free eyeglasses. 

The event took place in the cafeteria where students were administered eye exams and 
were allowed to select their personal favorites from over 100 frame styles.

Dr. Parkin's team employed the latest diagnostic technology to check and fill orders for
corrective lenses. The Marco/Nidek Toneref system pre-checks a patient's prescription, corneal
curvature and intraocular pressure, then permits the doctor to refine the eye exam and "trial"
lens set.

Cristo Rey is an urban Catholic school which prides itself on offering a college
preparatory education to all qualified students, irrespective of race, faith or income level.
Affordable and located in one of Brooklyn's most ethnically and income diverse
communities, Cristo Rey is close to Dr. Desmond Parkin's heart
as a part of VisionAppoint's mission to give back to a beloved community.

The program, designed to promote the enduring value of vision management to parents

and students, is projected to continue annually in various locations as a VisionAppoint tradition.
Learn more about the services of VisionAppoint here