History

VisionQuest 20/20 was founded in 2003 as The Amblyopia Foundation of America by James W. O'Neil, Charles Tardibuono and Richard Tirendi - three individuals who have been impacted both personally and professionally by vision disorders. With undetected vision disorders taking its toll on children and their families, our non-profit organization is the only one of its kind dedicated to establishing our country's first nationwide vision screening program.

Because good vision is critical for children to achieve maximal potential in school and life, VisionQuest 20/20 recognizes that all school age children must have their vision screened to maximize the opportunity for treatment. To effectively facilitate a state-of-the-art, nationwide vision screening program, VisionQuest 20/20 aims to collaborate with:

  • Other non-profit organizations
  • Government agencies
  • Schools
  • Technology firms
  • Corporate America

VisionQuest 20/20 is driven to improve and implement vision screenings for millions of schoolchildren, ensuring that eye examinations are more accessible, affordable, accurate and fun. With automation, we developed and standardized a large-scale vision screening program to dramatically expand access to screenings. Illustrating the capacity of the program, we've already tested comprehensive screening models in multiple states, screening over 60,000 children.

EyeSpy 20/20™

As its cornerstone, our revolutionary approach employs proprietary vision screening technology EyeSpy 20/20™ - a software program created by the Founders of VisionQuest 20/20. A child's vision is assessed in a standardized, cost-effective manner while he or she "plays" a two-to-three minute video game.

EyeSpy 20/20™ has recently been independently validated by The Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute for scientific accuracy and reliability. The results of the double-blind study show EyeSpy 20/20™ has sensitivity and specificity in excess of 90% which is comparable to results achieved by a certified ophthalmic technician using a 'gold standard' device for assessing vision.

With this cutting edge technology, the method finally exists to confidently provide wide-scale vision screenings to children whereby:

  • The results are accurate and reliable
  • The test is cost-effective
  • and the gathered data facilitates unprecedented epidemiological analysis to support better public health decisions regarding children's vision.

Depending on the method used, the cost of vision screenings, which are currently mandated in only 31 states and not required annually, can reach as high as $75 per child. Our vision screenings can be implemented for approximately $5 per child.

Distribution of our vision screening program is focused in schools, through government health programs and via other vision-related nonprofit organizations. Schools are the most efficient distribution channel because they offer the single largest venue for reaching children.