Kaleb Clark is in for his yearly eye exam.

His mom Angelia said it's a ritual to bring her kids in to get their eyes checked before school.

"My youngest one, I didn't know he needed glasses, but they were able to check his eyes and see what he needed," Clark said.

According to Davis Vision -- a national vision care company that offers free eye screenings to low income families across the country -- 80 percent of Michigan kids fail the test, which suggest parents aren't getting their kids eyes checked nearly enough.

"Parents aren't able to get their kids checked as often as they need to so they go longer without it," Doctor Greg Popowitz of Deltavision Optical in Lansing said. "Instead of every year, it's more like every two or three years."

It certainly changes your perspective when you get that first pair of glasses. Experts say for kids, whether or not they can see, directly affects their behavior in school.

"If they aren't able to keep up with reading or they are not able to see the blackboard, they can fall behind, get frustrated, and act out in class," Dr. Popowitz said.

Clark certainly knows glasses don't come cheap. So far four out of her five kids need them.

"The cheapest I can get with my insurance is $49," Clark said. "Multiply that, with a big family, and it can get really expensive."

But she said it's well worth the expense, to ensure her kids are able to focus in class.

The free screenings from Davis Vision have ended for the year, but even if you do not have insurance, there are a lot of programs out there so kids can get their eyes screened.

-You can contact your local health department.

or

-Uninsured kids can get vision exams and glasses if they qualify with the VSP Sight for Students program.

Follow this link to see if you qualify:

http://www.sightforstudents.org/html/help.html?WT.ad=body_how_to_get_help