Mara Lezama and Estefanía Mercado Bring Free Eyeglasses Program to Villas del Sol School

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Governor Mara Lezama and Playa del Carmen Mayor Estefanía Mercado led a new session of the municipal “Viendo al Futuro” program at the Ka’ambes primary school in Villas del Sol, where students received free vision screenings and eyeglasses.

The visit coincided with the inauguration of a new canopy over the school’s sports court, a project that cost about 4.5 million pesos and serves 965 students across both shifts.

Free Eye Exams Across 291 Schools

Mercado said the program, an extension of the city’s “Salud sin Tanto Choro” health initiative, sends municipal brigades into public schools to test students’ eyesight and hand out glasses at no cost. The effort covers all 291 basic-education schools in Playa del Carmen and Puerto Aventuras.

“We are joining our governor’s great work so that children have the tools they need to learn better and dream big. As a team we keep looking after the most valuable thing we have: our children,” Mercado said. She was accompanied by Rusbel Pat, the city’s secretary of social justice and citizen participation.

The mayor added that the glasses also help protect children and teenagers from the effects of prolonged exposure to digital screens on phones, tablets and computers.

Canopy Ends Eight-Year Wait

The new structure is a lightweight roof with a metal frame and reinforced concrete columns, covering 510 square meters above a concrete multi-use sports court.

“It makes us very happy that all 965 students have a space to play, run, take part in sports and have fun protected from the sun and the rain. It is a dream the school community waited eight years for and today it becomes a reality,” Lezama said.

The governor also handed over balls and sports equipment so students can make full use of the new facility, and praised the municipal government for the eyeglasses initiative, saying it gives beneficiaries the same opportunities to learn, develop and grow with wellbeing.