WASHINGTON, Utah — Seventh-grader Malkata never thought she needed glasses, but when she put on her first pair during a free eye clinic Thursday, her smile said everything.

"No, I did not think I needed them," Malkata said after learning she would be getting glasses. She admitted she had been having trouble seeing the board at school.

Malkata was one of dozens of students from kindergarten through 12th grade throughout southern Utah who came to Crimson Cliffs Middle School for the SightFest eye clinic. The event, organized by the nonprofit Friends for Sight, provides free eye exams and glasses to low-income families without insurance or Medicaid access.

Friends for Sight has been hosting the clinics in northern Utah for 10 years, but this marked their first SightFest in southern Utah. T

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