CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Stefanik School in Chicopee hosted a mobile eye lab bringing free vision testing and eye ware to elementary students.

This 20/20 Onsite Mobile Vision Clinic is where about 28 students got the chance to get their eyesight tested for a free pair of glasses. 22News spoke with the Stefanik school nurse and she says numerous students failed their vision tests over the last few years making this mobile lab important to the school community.

“There was about two years where students didn’t get screened for vision and hearing in schools, so this became a problem. Once the pandemic kind of, I wouldn’t say ended but slowed down but we’re able to screen kids now in school and, you know, there’s many kids that have failed,” said Nurse Heather Weinberg.

She says the mobile bus doesn’t normally come to western Massachusetts but asked due to increased demand. The school received a grant from the district to cover the costs for Monday’s screening, making the glasses free to the students that needed them. Students who tested for the glasses will get them over the next two weeks.