More than 15,000 elementary school students in Baja California Sur were identified with vision problems during school health screenings, but only about 1,500 families have followed through to collect the free corrective glasses their children qualify for. State education official José María Hernández Manríquez is urging parents to complete the process before the opportunity lapses.
The free eyeglasses are part of the state’s Vive Saludable, Vive Feliz (Live Healthy, Live Happy) program, which sent health brigades into public elementary schools across BCS to conduct vision screenings. Students who were flagged with vision issues received a digital file sent to their parents’ email. That file is the key to the next step.
How to Get the Free Glasses
Parents who received the digital file by email must take it to one of two assigned locations: a Coppel optical department or a Salud Digna clinic. At either location, the child will receive a full eye exam and lens fitting at no cost to the family. No appointment details beyond presenting the digital file were specified.
Hernández Manríquez, who oversees basic education in the state, warned that uncorrected vision is a direct barrier to learning. With a 90% dropout rate in the program so far, thousands of children who need glasses are going without them.
What to Do if You Lost the File
Parents who never received the email or lost the digital file can call 615-10-4-66-87 to reach Basic Education staff for assistance. School correspondence may also contain a QR code linked to the program. Families with children enrolled in BCS public elementary schools should check their email and any printed materials sent home from school.
Coppel is a major Mexican retail chain with optical departments in La Paz, Los Cabos, and other BCS cities. Salud Digna is a nonprofit network of low-cost health clinics with locations throughout Mexico, including in La Paz. Both are familiar names to residents across the state.
The program covers the full cost of the exam and corrective lenses. Families pay nothing. The only requirement is completing the process that begins with the emailed file from the school screening.
This story was first reported by the Baja California Sur state government at bcs.gob.mx.