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Philadelphia Schoolkids Can Get Free Vision Exams on Saturday at Jefferson Hospital

By Tim Jimenez

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Uninsured and underinsured Philadelphia children can get their eyes checked for free tomorrow, on "Give Kids Sight Day."

About 26,000 Philadelphia kids are without insurance and nearly 20,000 School District of Philadelphia students fail a vision test at school, according to Colleen McCauley with Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

"Much of what children and adults learn, we learn through seeing and looking at things," she notes, "and it can make all the difference for a child to reach their full capacity at school."

So, kids aged 18 and under who live in Philadelphia can get their eyes checked for free -- and even be fitted for eyeglasses -- during "Give Kids Sight Day" on Saturday.

The first come, first served sign-in will be at Jefferson Hospital's Alumni Hall, 10th and Locust Streets, from 8am to 2pm.

"Five hundred caring adult volunteers will be there to make sure that kids and families can get the health care that they need," McCauley says.

More information is at pccy.org.

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