Midvale, UT (June 4, 2025) – EyeCare4Kids™, a non-profit organization that provides professional eye care services to low-income, visually impaired children and underserved families across the southwest United States and Africa, today announced the promotion of Maggie Cline, MPH, to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ms. Cline joined EyeCare4Kids in 2022 and served as Executive Director Utah, where she oversaw the delivery of more than 50,000 vision services annually at school clinics, community centers, and other underserved areas across the state. Ms. Cline succeeds board-certified optician Joseph Carbone, who founded the organization in 2001 and will transition to a role focused on international development. Mr. Carbone is celebrating his 50th year in clinical practice in 2025.
One in four children in the United States have vision problems and the problem is amplified further in high-poverty areas where vision problems are more than double than the national average.(1-3) With an ongoing commitment to improving health equity, EyeCare4Kids eliminates many of the logistical and affordability barriers that prevent vision screenings in children. In addition to school and five community-based clinics, the organization deploys four mobile vision clinics across Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho to reach the most remote communities and manufactures its own glasses, with hundreds of stylish frames from which children can choose, to ensure delivery of high-quality care.
In her role as Executive Director Utah, Ms. Cline increased patient volume at the EyeCare4Kids- owned Midvale clinic and supported the launch of a new permanent clinic in Ogden. She played an integral role in expanding the mobile outreach team to serve more remote and underserved areas across Utah, cultivating partnerships with school districts across the state, homeless shelters, refugee centers, and other organizations serving vulnerable populations. Ms. Cline’s drive to expand the footprint and impact of EyeCare4Kids is informed by her own experience being raised by a single mom who spoke little English but worked three jobs to obtain her education and Master’s degree, setting an example for her daughter.
“The mission of EyeCare4Kids is both professional and personal for me because I used to be one of those kids whose family faced challenges and anxiety navigating the complicated U.S. health and education systems. That’s why I understand how important it is when one person or one organization offers a hand-up, potentially offering a life-changing impact with one act of kindness,” said Ms. Cline. “I look forward to expanding the reach of EyeCare4Kids and thank Joseph Carbone for founding, growing, and leading the organization for so many years.”
Joseph Carbone to Expand EyeCare4Kids Reach in Africa
Since its founding, EyeCare4Kids included programming in Africa as part of its mission, with former CEO Joseph Carbone traveling to different African nations annually to donate his professional time and resources to provide optometric services and glasses to in-need communities. With a goal to provide one million vision services to African children by 2030, EyeCare4Kids Africa (a registered NGO) has one fully operational clinic in Kenya with plans to open a second clinic in South Africa in 2025. Studies show that vision services and healthcare professionals remain far below what the World Health Organization recommends as the minimum requirements for eye health workers across the region.4
In his new role, Mr. Carbone will dedicate more time to forging partnerships in Africa with different countries’ government departments, other NGOs specializing in vision care, optometrists, clinics, lens manufacturers, universities, and schools to develop a collaborative network that creates a scalable, sustainable, and far-reaching solution to support children’s vision health across Africa. Akin to their work in the United States, EyeCare4Kids Africa will build the infrastructure to manufacture, cut, and fit lenses into frames efficiently.
“Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen how our work in Africa helps children to see better, do better in school, and set up opportunities to improve their quality of life. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter when I can focus on building long-lasting relationships that extend the impact of EyeCare4Kids,” said Joseph Carbone, president and founder. “I also congratulate Maggie Cline on her well-deserved promotion. Her hard work, dedication, and resourcefulness combined with her compassion will serve EyeCare4Kids well in the future.”
Mr. Carbone’s 50-year career as a practicing optician will be celebrated at an open house at EyeCare4Kids headquarters from 11 am - 2 pm MT on June 16, 2025.
About EyeCare4Kids™
Focused on rural and underserved areas, including indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities mostly in the Southwest United States and Africa, EyeCare4Kids is a 501(c)3 children’s charity that provides professional exams and glasses for children at low or no cost to their families. Since its founding, the organization has provided over 500,000 vision care services to children and families who cannot afford or face barriers to seeking out regular eye exams and corrective glasses, when needed. Glasses have an immediate and positive impact on children with correctable vision problems and help school performance as well as increase their confidence. EyeCare4Kids manufactures and fits glasses for its patients and educates children on how to care for their glasses, thereby fostering a positive sense of ownership and responsibility. To learn more, visit https://eyecare4kids.org/
Media Contact:
Jessica Daitch
JLD Communications
917-816-6712
References
- Prevent Blindness. Children’s Vision and eye health: A Snapshot of Current National Issues. Last accessed on 5-16-25 at https://ohio.preventblindness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Childrens_Vision_Chartbook.pdf
- Ganz, M., Xuan, Z., Hunter DG, “Patterns of eye care use and expenditures among children with diagnosed eye conditions,” JAAPOS, Vol. 11, Issue 5, p480-487 October 2007 https://www.jaapos.org/article/S1091-8531(07)00195-4/abstract
- Neitzel AJ, Wolf B, Guo X, et al. Effect of a Randomized Interventional School-Based Vision Program on Academic Performance of Students in Grades 3 to 7: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2021;139(10):1104–1114. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2021.3544 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2783867
- Graham R. Facing the crisis in human resources for eye health in sub-Saharan Africa. Community Eye Health. 2017;30(100):85-87. PMID: 29483753; PMCID: PMC5820633. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5820633/