The Cobb County Public Library distributed the following announcemetn about the Vision To Learn project:
Hundreds of Cobb County students are heading into the new school year with clearer vision thanks to a highly successful Summer Break 2026 partnership between the nonprofit Vision To Learn (VTL) and the Cobb County Public Library (CCPL).
During the summer mobile clinic campaign, which runs from late May through July 31, VTL’s eye care professionals administered, so far, free eye exams to 306 students, ages 5 through 18. A significant 80 percent of those students were prescribed new glasses, which are provided entirely free of charge, with students selecting their own frames.
“Our work is far from finished as there are still thousands of students in our community struggling without the essential vision care they need,” said Tom Brooks, CCPL communications specialist and an organizer of the library VTL clinics. “Cobb County’s ‘glasses gap’ is a major, expensive barrier which impacts education, economic and workforce development, and overall community well-being.”
Uncorrected vision is a significant hurdle for millions of children across the United States. According to health reports, about 25 percent of school-age children need glasses to fully engage and succeed in the classroom.
The summer clinic results are just the latest milestone in an ongoing effort to close the vision care gap in Cobb County and the broader metro Atlanta area. Since launching in 2018, the CCPL and Vision To Learn partnership has conducted more than 3,700 exams and provided 2,575 pairs of glasses to students, including 244 this Summer Break.
These efforts are closely tied to a long-standing collaboration with Learn4Life, the Metro Atlanta Regional Education Partnership. Learn4Life spearheads the Atlanta Vision Project, an ambitious initiative with the goal that all elementary school students in need in metro Atlanta will receive a free pair of glasses by 2028. Vision To Learn is joined in this coalition by Prevent Blindness Georgia and the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation.
Locally, the push to get students the eyewear they need extends to the classroom. Marietta City Schools has partnered with Vision To Learn since the 2021-2022 school year, conducting more than 3,000 exams and delivering 2,593 pairs of glasses to Marietta students.
For more information on the regional student vision initiative, visit the Atlanta Vision Project page at L4Lmetroatlanta.org/the-atlanta-vision-project.
For information on CCPL programs and resources, visit https://cobbcounty.gov/library.