Last month, students at the Jason Taylor Reading Room received a special visit from two former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders who came to the center to perform.....eye exams?  That’s right.  Dr. Stefani Martin and Stephanie MacLachlan, who once donned the very prestigious Miami Dolphins cheerleader outfits, came sporting a very different kind of uniform: blue scrubs.  

The visit was part of a new partnership the Jason Taylor Foundation has formed with Dr. Martin and her Boca based optometry clinic, in order to bring top notch vision care to the students who attend the Reading Room.  In March, Dr. Martin generously offered to bring her team to the Reading Room where they administered free preliminary eye screenings to all of the students enrolled in the program.  The children went to four different testing stations set up in the Miramar Youth Enrichment Center gym as staff from Ocean Optics evaluated each child’s strength of vision and overall eye health.

Over the next few weeks, Dr. Martin reviewed the evaluations and determined which students were in need of further examinations.  Two weeks later, Ocean Optics returned to the Reading Room and this time they brought with them “Vision Quest Florida,” a nonprofit organization that provides free comprehensive eye exams and state-of-the-art new glasses to children who might not otherwise be able to afford them.  Using the latest in vision care technology, each of the students selected received a detailed vision exam to determine who might require corrective eyewear.  As it turned out, eight of our students needed glasses for everyday functions such as studying or reading the blackboard at the front of the classroom. 

Three weeks later, Dr. Martin and Stephanie returned once again.  They met individually with each of the children who had been selected for glasses during their previous visit and presented him or her with a brand new, customized pair of glasses in the style the student had chosen.  Every child received expert advice on when they should wear the glasses, how to care for them and what to do if they break.  Dr. Martin made sure each pair fit correctly and did a quick test to verify the prescription strength. 

Some students couldn’t wait to get their stylish new eyewear while others were perhaps a little self conscious about their new look, but every single one of them couldn’t help but smile the first time they put on that new pair of glasses and realized, “Oh my gosh, I can see!”