WORDS & PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
Children with undetected vision problems often struggle academically, athletically, and personally.
While you let that sink in, meet Dr. Michael and Sarah Mackie, with Eye Center Inc., and the founders of The Vision Foundation.
Michael is a native of Manatee County, and both his parents were educators in the Manatee School District. Both Michael and Sarah were very active in the community throughout their young professional lives; they served on a multitude of boards and chaired many fundraising events for local charitable organizations.
“After Sarah and I took ownership at the Eye Center, we were approached by two Manatee County School nurses who have a long history in the education system,“ Michael said. “They presented us with a scrapbook from 2010 that they had put together with photographs and thank yous from many of the kids who had received donated glasses over the years from the Eye Center. Until that point, we had taken for granted what our donations were doing and had never really thought about the actual impact we were having on these kids’ lives. Looking through that heartfelt book gave us the desire to take it to the next level. That‘s when we created the Eye Center Vision Foundation.“
The next step felt like a natural one. They began planning a fundraising event to support the mission they cared deeply about. Sarah focused on one idea, raising students‘ “Eye-Qs,“ a nod to the connection between clear vision and learning. With help from community partners, including Gold Coast Eagle Distributing and the Hernando De Soto Historical Society, that idea grew into Beertopia, a craft beer and food festival (usually in August) that raises funds for children‘s eye care in Manatee County.
Working together has always come naturally for the couple, although Michael admits it was not always easy. After they assumed ownership of Eye Center Inc., they made it a priority to separate their professional life from their personal life. They worked at different physical locations and met at least once a week for lunch, not as husband and wife, but as business partners managing a company. They did not discuss personal issues during those meetings and tried, whenever possible, not to bring work issues home. The gray area between work and personal life often came through their community involvement. Before they had children, they seemed to be attending a charitable dinner almost every week, something they never saw as a chore because they enjoyed each other‘s company so much. Giving back to the community was something they always enjoyed doing together.
“I love being a part of the Eye Center, and I love continuing the legacy that Dr. John Marcin started,“ Michael said. “This place is home to me, and a part of me lives here, as it does with Sarah.“
About the Vision Foundation
The doctors at the Eye Center have made community care a central part of their work, with a special focus on children who may not otherwise receive needed vision services. Through the Eye Center, Inc. Vision Foundation, they help provide eye care and glasses for Manatee County children in need.
Working closely with Manatee County school nurses, the foundation provides free eye exams and a complete pair of glasses to local students who need them. The foundation also supports patients at Turning Points in Bradenton, which serves people experiencing homelessness and those at risk of becoming homeless in Manatee County.
“Access to vision care is incredibly important for children,“ Eye Center associate Dr. Madison Easterling explains. Clear, comfortable vision is foundational for how they learn, grow, and experience the world. In early childhood, the visual system is still developing, and undetected problems can interfere with important developmental milestones. As children get older, so much of learning becomes visual, from reading and writing to using technology, that even small vision issues can have a negative impact. “The challenge is that access isn‘t always easy.“
For many families, she noted, the barriers come down to time, cost, and awareness. Parents are busy, and if a child is not actively complaining, an eye exam can fall down the priority list. She added that many parents assume school or pediatrician screenings are enough, even though those screenings can miss many common vision problems. Financial barriers also matter, especially for families without vision insurance or for children who routinely break their glasses.
“Because kids rarely recognize that their vision is abnormal, they often don‘t ask for help,“ she said. Vision plays a much bigger role in education than many people realize. Much of classroom learning is visual, so if a child is not seeing clearly or comfortably, that child is already working at a disadvantage. Madison explained that the issue does not always look like obvious blurry vision. Sometimes it shows up as eye strain, difficulty focusing, or trouble tracking words across a page. Those issues can lead to poor reading comprehension, slower learning, and frustration with schoolwork. They can also look like behavioral problems.
“Over time, that academic struggle can start to affect a child‘s confidence,“ Madison said. When reading or paying attention in class feels consistently difficult, children may begin to think they are not as capable as their peers. She said she often sees children labeled as inattentive or struggling learners when the real issue is an underlying vision problem that has not been identified. “The encouraging part is that when these issues are diagnosed and treated, the change can be significant,“ she said, adding that something as simple as a pair of glasses can truly change a child‘s life.
Eye Center Associate Brad Laudicina recalled a case that has stayed with him over the years, about a young girl who was born extremely premature and developed retinopathy of prematurity. Despite everything she had already overcome, she later experienced severe retinal detachments in both eyes, followed by cataracts at a very young age. Her vision was rapidly declining, and without treatment, she was at real risk of losing it entirely.
“The challenge was that she had no insurance, and time was critical,“ Laudicina said. Through the Eye Center Vision Foundation, the team was able to cover the cost of both her retinal and cataract surgeries so she could receive care without delay. Today, that young girl has vision she otherwise may have lost. Her mother later wrote, “Without their help, I don‘t know what we would have done… now she has sight back.“ Brad said the story captures the purpose of the foundation, making sure finances are never the reason someone goes without vision-saving care.
“When a child puts on glasses and sees clearly for the first time, I watch as their expression changes,“ said Eye Center Associate Dr. Paige Laudicina. “It’s a special moment: their eyes widen, they often smirk, and I see their realization, as faces come into focus, and details of the surrounding world sharpen. It feels deeply meaningful and very rewarding, and I’m always grateful to be a part of it.“
It starts with a clearer vision, but the impact reaches much further. Through the Vision Foundation, one pair of glasses can help a child‘s whole world look different.
For more information about The Vision Foundation, visit https://www.eyecenterinc.com/vision-foundation/
