The eyes have it in Saugus school

SAUGUS – Students who wear glasses from the moment they wake up until the time they go to sleep will especially appreciate the generosity of Pearle Vision.The eyeglass outlet at 739 Broadway, Route 1, Saugus, donated a vision screening tool to Belmonte Middle School Monday.According to registered nurse Pam Acheson, 300 students will be vision screened this year alone.?It?s nice having our own vision machine as opposed to borrowing one from Saugus High School,” Acheson said. “It?s so much more convenient to screen them and send them on their way. The kids struggled with the other one. It?s much easier for the kids to understand, and it has a better testing value.”Besides the updated device, eligible students, whose families aren?t financially stable, will also be entitled to a voucher for an annual screening and an economical, basic pair of eyeglasses. Advanced glasses have special features, such as reduced eye strain for computer screens and anti-reflection for night vision. Pearle Vision has distributed the vouchers since last year, and four Belmonte students have taken advantage of them.Optician and Pearle Vision franchise owner Carmine Mazzarella, 44, former Saugus resident and currently of Reading, began the relationship with Belmonte to be the local provider of glasses and a neighborhood idol. He adjusts glasses for customers at the store.?We plan to expand to all school pilot programs in Saugus,” Mazzarella said. “We got it through optical pricing from one of the nursing supply catalogs, so we only paid more than $400. We didn?t have to pay the retail price.”He said the illuminated screening chart only took three to four weeks from discussion to initiation.Belmonte students come into the nurse?s offices with issues ranging from lazy eyes, being legally blind, color-blind to near and farsightedness. For more serious eye disorders, by the time students are in middle school, they usually can?t be reversed.Eighth-grader Kaelyn Butler, 14, said the device was a generous undertaking from Pearle Vision.?It was hard to see certain letters with last year?s,” said Butler. “It looks nice.”Acheson, who is in charge of grades seven and eight, said her nurse?s office is mandated by the state to do annual health screenings and follow-ups, as needed.?This is nursing at its best,” Acheson said. “It helps me in my total practice. The students who were down here told me they were psyched, because they won?t have to wait, and it?s more user-friendly. Not all schools have their own, because a lot of money would have to come out of the nursing budget.”Eighth-grader Charlie Alcott, 13, said he wears glasses for farsightedness and also likes this chart better.?It?s going to be more helpful for kids who have eye problems,” Alcott said. “It?s a better machine. I think it?s nice for the school. My friends haven?t used it yet, because it just came in Monday.”Mazzarella said he is excited and think it?s a great program for Saugus. He chose Saugus because he feels a connection, as he lived there 26 years. Acheson sees 100 students on a daily basis and often makes split-second decisions. Seven hundred students previously shared the unit.