The Right Pair of Glasses: Meet Mike and Jack
Jack Meehan of Roseville received his first pair of glasses at age 4, but it would take 10 years and a visit to Society for the Blind’s Low Vision Clinic for him to find glasses that helped him use his functional vision.
His father, Mike Meehan, said he first knew something was wrong with his son’s vision when he was a baby and his eyes would move rapidly from side to side.
“Jack was lying there with a big smile on his face, but his eyes were banging back and forth,” Mike said. “The doctors weren’t sure if it was an eye condition or a neurological problem.”
As a toddler, Jack underwent brain scans and eventually they determined it was an eye condition called nystagmus that the American Optometric Association describes as a condition where the eyes “make repetitive, uncontrolled movements” that often cause blurry vision.
Despite a diagnosis, numerous eye doctors struggled to find glasses that would allow Jack to see properly. Mike said Jack often would put on his glasses only to discover his vision was even worse with them on. He still managed to succeed in school through auditory learning, but it was a challenge.
“I had been complaining to doctors for years that Jack couldn’t see the chalkboard at school, and it was even worse with his glasses on, but no one could figure it out,” Mike said. “Two years ago, I said look, these glasses have never worked right, and the doctor referred me to Society for the Blind’ s Low Vision Clinic.”
Society’s Low Vision Clinic is one of the longest-running community-based eye clinics in the Sacramento region. Our doctors are specially trained in low vision eye care and provide a continuum of care alongside patients’ optometrists and ophthalmologists. The clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art technology donated by VSP Global that is created specifically for specialized low vision exams.
In our clinic, we had the tools to create a prescription that worked so Jack could most effectively use his functional vision. At age 14, he could read the chalkboard at school for the first time ever. He began to excel even more in school. Now age 16, Jack has a 3.8 GPA and just came into our clinic for his second pair of glasses.
“He loves his glasses and they really work for him,” Mike said. “His vision is never going to be perfect, but he can see just fine now with his glasses. Society for the Blind solved our problem.”