Over 200 Students Benefit from Courts Optical Brighter View Programme
Over ninety thousand dollars in eyewear will be distributed to high school students at twelve high schools across the country. The donation is courtesy of Courts Optical Centre, which tested the eyes of about a thousand students and selected over two hundred to benefit from the programme. Students at two high schools in Belize City today are sporting a new look. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Since 2015, Unicomer Belize established its Courts Optical Centre as a brand, providing ocular services to its customers through its higher purchase scheme. Customers are able to get their eyes tested and depending on their vision, be able to secure lenses with their desired frames. Today, via its Court Optical Brighter View programme, provided eyeglasses to much needed students. The programme was launched in October and November of last year.
Grisel Carballo
Grisel Carballo, Public Relations Officer, Unicomer
“We had screened the schools; it was two high school per district. We wanted to do this countrywide. It was a countrywide initiative so we provide glasses, sunshades, contact lenses. We said, why not give back to give better vision for students. Our target was high schools students between the ages of twelve and eighteen and we targeted students that had financial needs whereby their parents can’t afford to buy them eyewear because eyeglasses are expensive on a whole.”
Close to one thousand students were screened over the past few months and two hundred plus students were successfully chosen by the programme. Each eyewear is valued at four hundred Belize dollars. Since last week, distribution began and the final stop was the Belize District, specifically, Canaan and Sadie Vernon High Schools.
Grisel Carballo
“We are grateful that these students are now able to see better and can concentrate on school. So for us at Courts Optical, all we want is to help back the community and what better way to give back than glasses. These glasses are to last them two years so we are hopeful that these students appreciate it and all we ask is for them to continue school, do good in school and be in school.”
Their first stop this morning was over at Canaan High School on Coney Drive where twenty-four students benefits from the programme.
Malik Augustine
Malik Augustine, 1st Form Student, Canaan High School
“I mi had before, but the first one I mi get neva work too good. So when I come to this and they check mi eye and now I di see good, Miss.”
Reporter
“You’ve gotten an eye test before last year?”
Malik Augustine
“Yes ma’am. Ih mi make I see really bad. But now that I take the one dah Courts optical I see clearly.”
Hipolito Novelo
“How will this help you in terms of studying, reading and follow up with your work?”
Malik Augustine
“…cause when I deh ina class I barely di see good. But if I go ina class now, I wah see good now.”
Kyla Nasario
Kyla Nasario, Student, Canaan High School
“I’ve been through two glasses because when I was in standard five, I had a glasses, but it was the thin lens one, but it didn’t work for me because I kept on having pain in my right eye cause my right eye is the weaker one. But now that I’ve gotten these new pair of glasses, I am seeing clearly, no pain; feels much better. In terms of my school work, before I didn’t have these glasses, I couldn’t see on the board. I am the second one in my row, but I couldn’t see, but now I think I will see much better. I see clearly now.”
Hipolito Novelo
“It’s the first time you are wearing glasses, how do you feel? Is your vision better?”
Kimberly Levy
Kimberly Levy, 1st Former, Canaan High School
“Yes sir; my vision is way better and I actually feel better because now I can see everything more clearly than before. I didn’t really think I would need glasses, but base on the test, I would usually get a blurriness over my right eye and I wouldn’t pay it mind, but then they said they were having a free eye exam. So I said I should give it a try and I need glasses. I think this will actually help me focus a lot because while I am class and reading, I start getting a headache because of my eyes and I think now I won’t be getting headaches anymore from my eyes.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
