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"See Better to Learn Better" is a free eyeglasses program in partnership with the Mexican government and Augen Optics. The collaboration between the non-profit and Yves Béhar/fuseproject has lead to Collección Escolar 2010. A collection of customizable and iconic corrective eyewear that is specifically designed for students, ages 6-18 years old.

Similar to the OLPC philosophy, we wanted to design products that are suited to the children’s specific needs, life and environment. The children receiving these glasses need frames that are durable, ergonomic and have key customization elements like shape and color that make wearing the glasses fun and personal.

Currently, the percentage of children in need of lenses at or above .75 correction, and can be as high as 60-70% in some schools in states like Morelos, Sonora and Chiapas. The average classroom need percentage is 11%. Additionally, the wearing of glasses is looked at as a handicap, this social stigma adds to the resistance to correct the problem.

To solve all of these challenges, we designed two part frames that are fully customizable with top and bottom colors that can be mixed and matched to fit all children’s personal choices. The innovative interchangeable nose pads let children with more petite noses wear the glasses comfortably. Through the use of the two part construction, 7 colors, 5 shapes and 3 sizes, these glasses can be swapped and adjusted in the field in order to update prescriptions.

At every school, we encourage students to create their very own pair of glasses with their favorite styles, size and color combinations. All this can be done through the special options catalogue, a fun and interactive way for kids to first encounter and chose their glasses.

The glasses are designed to be worn beyond the classrooms utilizing materials, advanced Gilamid plastic, with its hyper-flexible property, making them practically indestructible. Some fun in the soccer field? no problem.

The aim of “See Better to Learn Better” is to provide a solution to children in families that cannot afford the high cost of an eye exam and eyewear. The program gives a free eye exam administered in schools and students pick their own frames. The prescription and desired frames are produced locally by Augen, a Mexican company, and then delivered to the schools.

With Collección Escolar 2010, each pair is designed for students and created by students, this we believe will make students See Better and Learn Better.<<