Alcon Children’s Vision Center and Lighthouse for the Blind: Expanding Opportunity Through Eye Care
October 22, 2026
time to read 5 minutes
Since 2021, Alcon Children’s Vision Center (ACVC) and Lighthouse for the Blind in Fort Worth, Texas, have partnered to support community eye care and create meaningful employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
ACVC was formed through a partnership between Alcon and the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) to overcome barriers in accessing eye care for students in need. Through the partnership, students receive vision screening by Alcon Associates, follow-up care coordinated by ACVC and prescription glasses from Lighthouse for the Blind at no cost to them, their families or the school district.
Through a shared purpose of expanding access to eye care, the relationship has blossomed into a multifaceted partnership connecting Alcon’s commitment to help people See Brilliantly with Lighthouse for the Blind’s mission to help people with significant vision loss live with more independence.
Today, this partnership comes to life with every pair of glasses a student receives. Since the start of the children’s mission program, ACVC has provided support for approximately 115,000 students through vision screenings, demonstrating the reach of its efforts to expand access to eye care.
More Than a Pair of Glasses
Lighthouse for the Blind has had a long-standing history of creating opportunities for people with vision loss.
That commitment remains at the heart of Lighthouse’s work today. In 2017, Lighthouse launched the Lighthouse Lab to create nontraditional jobs for people who are blind while providing employees with transferable, technical skills. Two years later, Mission Optical, a social enterprise within the Lighthouse Lab, was created to manufacture prescription eyewear while creating meaningful employment for people who are visually impaired. It also expands access to glasses for community members experiencing financial hardship.
Creating an Eye Care Partnership
Through Mission Optical, Lighthouse optical staff work directly with ACVC’s program team to process and fulfill custom prescription orders. The Lighthouse Lab serves as the exclusive laboratory vendor supporting prescription eyewear for students identified through the ACVC eye exams.
For the children receiving those glasses, the impact can extend well beyond clearer eyesight.
“Unlike other school-based vision or charitable programs, ACVC's core mission is to be more than a quick fix for students with a vision need; rather, it serves as a bridge between students, families, schools, and the eye care system.”
– Kendall D. Stout O.D., lead optometrist at Alcon Children’s Vision Center
At Lighthouse, fulfilling those prescriptions creates another form of opportunity. Lab employees manufacture custom eyewear while developing specialized skills and earning competitive wages and benefits. The lab can produce a wide range of prescription lenses such as single-vision, bifocal, progressive and low-vision glasses. Each order represents an impact on both sides of the process.
“Alcon’s involvement is a true full-circle partnership. By designating the Lighthouse Lab as their exclusive lab vendor for FWISD vision screenings through Mission Optical, Alcon directly connects its outreach with local job creation and community service, ensuring every pair of glasses funded for a student also sustains a job for a visually impaired adult in Fort Worth.”
– Brian Talkington*, lab manager at Lighthouse Optical Finishing Lab
Helping Kids See Brilliantly
For ACVC, the result is a partnership that represents what the organization has worked for, ensuring that treatments for visual impairments are available for those who may otherwise struggle to afford it.
For some families, that can be surprising. One ACVC team member recalled a parent asking how much she owed after her child’s appointment and being visibly relieved to learn there was no charge.
One child who came to the program was about 2 years old and had severe refractive error in both eyes. She was frightened during the fitting process, and when her glasses were placed on her face, she initially cried. Then, as she began to realize she could see the people and objects around her clearly, she stopped.
"She was in awe of everything around her,” Courtney Dziurawiec, the optician at ACVC recalled. “Everyone was so excited to see what a transformation this would be for this little girl’s life.”
Stories like this illustrate why the partnership reaches beyond clear vision. Access to appropriate eye care can affect a person’s whole life, including academic performance and confidence in a child’s ability to engage fully in the classroom.
“ACVC’s mission is Helping kids learn by helping kids see Brilliantly. Lighthouse for the Blind helps with that through making the glasses in a timely and accurate fashion. The staff at Lighthouse for the Blind has been extremely helpful.”
– Courtney Dziurawiec, optician at Alcon Children’s Vision Center
Alcon and Lighthouse have a shared goal to continue expanding their impact by reaching more communities and helping ensure that access to eye care can open doors for students and their families. The next chapter will center around increasing access to screenings, comprehensive eye exams and eyewear in Fort Worth, Texas and beyond.
About Lighthouse for the Blind
Serving the 78,000 blind or significantly visually impaired people living in Tarrant and surrounding Texas counties, the organization provides education, adaptive technology training, independent living skills, rehabilitation services, and employment for children, adults and elderly. Employment has been central to that mission since its founding, creating opportunities for people with significant visual impairments while supporting the broader community.
About Alcon Children’s Vision Center
Alcon Children’s Vision Center is a partnership between the Alcon Foundation and Fort Worth ISD that provides comprehensive eye exams and eyewear at no cost to FWISD students unable to obtain care through insurance or local providers. The center provides services at elementary schools across the district and through its Fort Worth clinic, helping students access the vision care they need.
*Paid Alcon consultant
