Gov. Mike DeWine has been selected to receive a national award for his role in expanding access to vision care for Ohio schoolchildren, officials announced Tuesday. The recognition comes after the state set aside funding to scale up the Ohio Student Eye Exam program — known as OhioSEE — which brings exams and eyeglasses directly to students who fail school vision screenings.
National prize cites expansion of school-based vision care
DeWine is slated to receive the 2026 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award from the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness, a volunteer organization focused on eye health and safety. The award recognizes his efforts to create and expand OhioSEE and for directing state resources to reach children with unmet vision needs.
According to the announcement, the governor secured $25 million from Ohio's Rural Health Transformation Fund to expand OhioSEE statewide and to develop additional ways for children to obtain eye exams. The funding followed work by a state-appointed panel, the Children's Vision Strike Force, which DeWine formed in 2024 to address gaps in follow-up care for students who fail school vision screenings.
Early results and program services
Prevent Blindness said OhioSEE provided comprehensive eye exams to about 1,900 children and distributed roughly 1,200 pairs of eyeglasses in its first year of operation.
| Metric | First-year total |
|---|---|
| Funding secured for expansion | $25,000,000 |
| Comprehensive eye exams provided | ~1,900 |
| Free eyeglasses distributed | ~1,200 |
The program is designed to follow up on school vision screenings by delivering exams and eyeglasses to children who otherwise might not receive comprehensive eye care. OhioSEE aims to reduce barriers such as transportation, cost and missed appointments that can prevent children from getting needed treatment.
- OhioSEE provides follow-up eye exams for students who fail school vision screenings.
- The program supplies eyeglasses when prescription lenses are needed.
- State funding will support statewide expansion and new delivery methods.
DeWine emphasizes the gap in follow-up care
"When my wife, Fran, and I learned that only 1 in 4 kids actually receive comprehensive eye exams and follow up vision care that they need, we knew we needed to help find a solution quickly," the governor said in a release.
DeWine noted that bringing vision care directly into schools removes obstacles so fewer children are missed. The governor's office framed OhioSEE as part of broader efforts to improve rural and underserved health care access through targeted state investments.
Amy Pulles, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio, praised the governor's work in the announcement, saying his leadership highlights the impact of prioritizing children's vision at the state level.
What this means for families and schools
For families, the expansion aims to reduce the need to navigate appointments or arrange travel to get follow-up care after a school screening. For school districts, the program could ease the administrative burden of tracking referrals and ensure more students who fail screenings receive timely evaluations and corrective lenses when needed.
Officials have not yet detailed the timeline for rolling OhioSEE out across every district or how the $25 million will be allocated by county, provider or delivery method. Those implementation specifics will determine how rapidly and extensively the program reaches children statewide.
The award from Prevent Blindness underscores growing attention nationwide to school-based vision initiatives. Advocates say untreated vision problems can affect classroom learning, social development and safety, and that school-centered approaches can help close gaps in care.
As Ohio prepares to expand OhioSEE, parents and school officials seeking information should watch for updates from the governor's office and local school districts about program schedules, participating providers and how students will be identified and served.
This recognition places Ohio among states experimenting with direct-to-school strategies to address childhood vision needs, a public-health approach aimed at reducing disparities and improving educational readiness.
