Pasco Declares ‘World Sight Day’ as Preserve Vision Florida Expands into Pasco County

The Pasco Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) presents a Resolution to Preserve Vision Florida (PVF) declaring October 8, 2026 as World Sight Day in Pasco County. Pictured from left to right: Jack Mariano, BOCC Chairman; Seth Weightman, BOCC Vice-Chairman; Commissioner Ronald E. Oakley, District 1; Kevin Bakewell, PVF Board of Governors Chair; Marilee Berrios, PVF Director of Programs; Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, District 3; Lisa Yeager, BOCC Second Vice-Chair; Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Esq., Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller

Preserve Vision Florida Expands Services in Pasco

In conjunction with Preserve Vision Florida’s (PVF) expansion into Pasco County, and in support of an annual international focus on the importance of good vision, the Pasco Board of County Commissioners declared Thursday, October 8, 2026 as World Sight Day.

Vision loss is the most significant disability experienced by people of all ages. One in three children enter school with vision loss, 75 percent of adults use some form of vision correction, and seniors are at an increased risk of falls, social isolation, and depression due to vision issues.

Preserve Vision Florida Receives Data Support

The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County has provided a grant of $10,000 to create an enhanced database to track and strategically analyze client services. Addition of comprehensive database software will enhance Preserve Vision Florida’s ability to continue to serve over 12,000 Hillsborough children and adults annually through expanded and robust reporting capabilities. The software also will help the identification of population demographics and zip codes. This will allow Preserve Vision Florida to strategically map its screening event patterns to identify geographic opportunities, as well as strengthen the ability to analyze client needs, including referral rate trends.

Children’s Eye Health & Safety

Children’s Eye Health Programs to Help Parents, Teachers and Kids Save Sight

Back-to-school preparations are well underway for many parents and students. To help give children a great head start to a successful school year, Preserve Vision Florida and Prevent Blindness offer free information and programs on the importance of healthy vision.

Prevent Blindness has declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month to inspire parents to make their child’s vision health a priority. Family-friendly resources on a wide variety of topics…

Lindsey Franxman’s Vision Health Journey

Through adversity came resilience. Miss Tampa 2025, Lindsey Franxman, faced a life-altering experience that led to her vision-saving mission. At age 12, Franxman was diagnosed with blindness due to a virus that attacked her optic nerves. This condition made even the brightest rooms seem dark, limited her peripheral vision, and prevented her from seeing colors. As an avid reader, this was the most daunting situation young Franxman had encountered. In a matter of days, she went from spending hours reading her favorite books to barely being able to see the pages. Desperate for answers, her parents immediately took her to…

David Yates, 2023 Person of Vision

Thank you for joining us in honoring David Yates as our 2023 Person of Vision, and celebrating the life-changing work of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Person of Vision Award annually honors a Florida visionary who has had a profound impact on the community, region, state or world. David Yates was CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) from 2006 – 2020, where he Co-Produced Dolphin Tale and Executive Produced Dolphin Tale 2. CMA is internationally recognized thanks to these blockbuster movies, starring the aquarium’s most famous resident, Winter the dolphin, along with Harry Connick, Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris…

Ivan and His Dinosaur

Meet 9-year-old Ivan! His vision was screened by Preserve Vision Florida at the Children’s Board Family Resource Center. He was identified as a referral for astigmatism, which causes blurry vision.

Thanks to our partnership with Bright Eye Kids, Ivan received a follow-up exam and a pair of stylish glasses. He loves his dinosaur Lenz Frenz animal glasses case, keeping his glasses safe while showing off his cool style.

What It’s Like to Live With Low Vision

Kathi Wolfe’s recent essay in The New York Times, “A Smirk, a Smile, a Clenched Fist: What the Movies Taught Me to See,” identifies very clearly how a person living with low vision learns about images and eventually incorporates them into their lived experiences. Interestingly, she relates how for a person with low vision viewing something in the movies is a more powerful learning opportunity than experiencing it in real life. Living with low vision, I often must imagine the small details presented visually, since I cannot see details that fully sighted people might take for granted. Each subtle gesture,…

February Focus: AMD/Low Vision

Each year in February, Preserve Vision Florida observes Low Vision Awareness Month to increase knowledge about low vision and the vision rehabilitation services that benefit individuals with vision loss. The National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that “Low Vision Awareness Month is a great time to spread the word about vision rehabilitation – and make sure that people with vision impairment know about the services available…” Vision rehabilitation includes a wide range of services that can help people with vision loss make the best use of the eyesight they have to maintain their independence….

Shocked… and Grateful

“I was shocked that Skylar had a vision issue. We may not have known for quite some time that our daughter needed special eye care, let alone glasses. I work with children every day and had no idea! We will always be grateful to Preserve Vision Florida for this screening.” —Jennifer Dunn, Center Director, Childcare of Brandon Town Center