Conexus visits rural communities in need of eye care

AMELIA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- 8News spoke with Conexus as well as several local optometrists this week as they worked together to provide eye care for rural communities in need.

Thanks to donations from community members, Conexus has continued to expand its footprint, as they are now working with schools in Amelia County, Prince Edward County and Farmville.

Conexus goes into local schools day in and day out, providing eye screenings, eye exams and glasses to students when needed. Conexus CEO Tim Gresham explained to 8News why this work is especially important in rural communities.

"There are a couple of problems in those rural areas," Gresham said. "One is, in some of those areas, there is no eye doctor even in the community, and in other areas there may be just one or two -- so for a parent to access that eye care there could be a four month wait or six month wait."

In these rural areas, Conexus has partnered with local optometrists who know their community, and for optometrists like Dr. Reeves La Roche, making a difference in a child's life is extremely fulfilling.

"I mean, to me, that means everything," Dr. La Roche said. "How that can affect a child's life in terms of socializing, learning, being able to see their full potential, to be able to go to where they are, to be able to help them -- it's not just getting kids to be able to see the board better it's able to improve their quality of life and their quality of education by an extension and it's very rewarding to be able to give back."

Dr. La Roche has a special connection to Prince Edward, as that is where is dad practiced. He said he feels that this is a great opportunity to make a difference in his own community that has a real need.

In Amelia County, Conexus has partnered with Dr. Robie Robinson, who spent more than three decades with his own practice.

"I'm a retired optometrist," Dr. Robinson said. "My son is an OD and he's taking over the practice, so the opportunity to get to come to my elementary school where my kids grew up and my family was raised and give back something, if nothing other than wisdom, is a joy."

Studies have shown that if a child cannot see the board, their books or their computer clearly, they are not learning effectively -- and Conexus is changing that one child, one classroom and one school at a time.