How Special Olympics Florida bridges the eye care gap for athletes

In an exclusive interview with Optometry Times, Leslie Scher, OD, shared her experience volunteering as a clinical director with Special Olympics Florida (SOFL). In collaboration with Lions Clubs International, the Special Olympics’ Opening Eyes program offers free vision screening for all participating athletes and other Floridians with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“The mission of Opening Eyes is to improve the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities by optimizing their vision, eye health and visual skills through quality eye care,” the organization states on their website.¹

Scher started working with SOFL as a pre-optometry undergraduate student at Florida State University. Scher describes her early experience as integral to her journey to becoming an optometrist. “It’s actually the reason why I became an optometrist…I really loved what they were doing and their mission,” Scher stated.

SOFL reports that 3% of their participating athletes have never received an eye screening and about 7% reported some sort of eye health abnormality. Almost 70% of athletes screened in 2025 received glasses at no cost through the program’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica.¹ The program also provides sports and swim goggles.

Scher describes the Opening Eyes program as a way to bridge the eye care gap for athletes who may not have had previous access to care. To ensure athletes continue to maintain eye health after the screening, clinical directors handle checkout paperwork and provide recommendations for providers in the athletes’ area.

“If we find something ocular health-wise, like let's say they have blepharitis or they have some sort of retinal pathology, then we make the recommendation to refer them for further testing, either to an optometrist or an ophthalmologist,” Scher noted.

How SOFL volunteers support long-term eye health

Optometrists volunteering with the Opening Eyes program will often see several athletes, of a variety of age groups, back to back. Scher emphasized the importance of tailoring eye care to the individual sport, such as recommending goggles for contact sports. She also discussed her advice for optometrists providing screenings for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Scher encourages providers to speak directly to the athletes and clearly explain each step of the screening process. “If I'm taking pressures, for example, that can be scary to put something so close to the eye, and if you don't have a warning, that can be a little triggering. So I usually explain: Okay, this is a machine that checks your eye pressure. It gets really, really close to your eye. It just lightly touches… it doesn't hurt. It's more so just like a tickling sensation,” Scher explained. She also recommended demonstrating screening procedures on the athlete’s parent or coach to allow them to ease any discomfort they may have.

“You're just explaining a little bit more, walking through it a little bit more, maybe being a little bit more patient, because you're not going to get answers right away. But anyone can do it,” she continued.

September is Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month. It is crucial for optometrists to educate patients on best practices for safety while playing sports. Scher emphasized that athletes should follow proper sun protection practices, which is instrumental to avoiding conditions like sun spots, pingueculas, and cataracts. Teaming binocular vision disorders can also impact an athlete’s reaction time, leading to potential injury.

Scher encouraged interested optometrists and optometry students to contact their local chapter. For those concerned about inexperience, she explained the preparation and training the program offers. “There's a shortage of volunteers. We don't always get volunteer students and optometrists unless they're coming from the schools in the area, or they're already involved, like they work in an academic setting where they have partnerships with them.” Scher stated. She also noted that optometrists with limited experience working with pediatric patients, and those with intellectual disabilities, noted that they felt much more comfortable after volunteering. “We've had so many optometrists throughout the years that have come just as a first-timer…they felt by the end of it they just felt so much more comfortable with those tests. So don't be afraid of something like that,” she explained.

For more information about how to volunteer, visit: SpecialOlympicsFlorida.org or contact Jennifer Camden at [email protected].

References

1. Special Olympics Florida. Healthy athletes. Accessed September 18, 2026. https://www.specialolympicsflorida.org/our-programs/health-fitness-programs/healthy-athletes