Eying the Future is a national career-awareness program designed to introduce middle and high school students—particularly those in Latino communities—to the importance of eye health and the opportunities available through careers in optometry.
As Latino communities continue to grow across the United States, expanding awareness of healthcare careers among young people has become increasingly important. Yet Latinos remain significantly underrepresented in optometry. Programs that help students learn about healthcare careers early can play an important role in expanding awareness, strengthening the future workforce, and helping young people see themselves in professions that impact the health of their communities.
Developed in partnership with Transitions Optical and Young Minds Inspired (YMI), a leading provider of free educational outreach programs, Eying the Future brings eye health education and optometry career awareness directly into classrooms through accessible, ready-to-use materials.
Launched in 2024, the initiative has already generated strong engagement nationwide, driving nearly 20,000 visits to its microsite and thousands of downloads of its educational resources.
Through digital toolkits and classroom-ready materials, Eying the Future introduces students to the field of optometry while helping educators guide conversations about careers in optometry and eye health. The materials help students learn what optometrists do, explore educational pathways into optometry, understand different areas of practice within eye care, and see how vision health connects to overall health and well-being.
The Eying the Future materials are available at no cost and can be downloaded from the program microsite. Educators, school counselors, students exploring healthcare careers, eye care professionals, and community organizations are encouraged to use and share the resources to help expand eye health education and introduce more students to careers in optometry.
Access the program and resources
https://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/leo/