Winston Churchill has been credited with the quote, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” The act of giving back can be enormously rewarding, especially when doing so provides a coveted health service. Just ask Timothy Earley, OD, and Shane Foster, OD, who have used their time to spread awareness about the benefits of comprehensive eye exams and healthy vision, with a specific focus on decreasing barriers to primary care optometry.

Something to keep in mind: In 2020, the American Optometric Association listed some barriers, among them financial and geographical, in its joint white paper with the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved; that report can be found at https://bit.ly/3NVwoA9 . The report indicates that disparities linked to access to health care, in general, are mirrored in access to eye care. Specific among them are social determinants, such as nutrition, physical and social environments; socioeconomic determinants, such as employment, housing and education; and geographic determinants, such as distance to the provider and transportation.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

These barriers to eye care are similar to those seen in Ohio, where Drs. Earley, Optometric Management’s “iBusiness” columnist, and Foster practice and volunteer their expertise to expand access to vision care.

Dr. Earley is the volunteer medical director for Bright Eyedeas Vision Clinic, serving Medina County, Ohio. His clinic receives referrals (for example, diabetic patients or those in need of routine eye care) from other free clinics, as well as from school nurses, teachers, and psychologists for children who are falling through the cracks. Some of the barriers Dr. Earley sees to receiving eye care include citizenship and visa status, insurance status, employment status, and, for children, parents who are incarcerated or in rehabilitation, and/or guardians who are in some way ill-equipped for childcare.

In addition to offering eye care services free of charge through the clinic, Dr. Earley also says education about the services is important. The clinic performs outreach, for example, by communicating annually with schools to ensure the information is received despite high turnover, and discusses access to eye care with patients and promotes it on social media.

The clinic is in partnership with the local vocational school, providing students with hands-on experience taking histories and the like, and employs a full optical that, along with partnerships with local labs, seeks to meet the needs of the clinic’s patients.

“I feel incredibly blessed,” Dr. Earley says, of his time giving back to the community. “If you have the time and the talent to give back to folks who may not have certain things, it behooves us to do that.”

ON THE ROAD WITH iSEE

Dr. Foster, president of the Ohio Optometric Association, discussed the Ohio Optometric Foundation’s partnership with Vision to Learn and Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. Together, they operate a vision van that travels to the rural communities that make up the 32 Appalachian counties of Ohio, as part of a program called “iSee with Vision to Learn.” Through donations from collective nonprofits, as well as government-funded grants, iSee employs a full-time optometrist and optician, as well as a part-time optician. Statewide data from the Ohio Department of Health shows that 22% of children who failed school vision screenings get the comprehensive eye exams recommended to them, says Dr. Foster. Since iSee brings eye care professionals right to schools, eliminating a barrier to access, “we can ensure that nearly 100% of those children who require a comprehensive eye exam after failing a screening receive it.” The program’s administrators also partner with industry to receive low or no cost frames and lenses to provide to the children.

“The goal is to promote lifelong eye care,” Dr. Foster says.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Acknowledging that volunteering time in such a way is not for everyone, Drs. Earley and Foster offer some tips for eliminating barriers to eye care in your own community:

• Start small. Choose a (or an additional) Medicaid plan to accept at your practice.
• Volunteer. Check in with your local AOA chapter and/or alliance and ask how you can offer your skills to your community.
• Open for free screenings. Choose a few days in the summer to open for free screenings for local schools, or one day a week to provide services to those who are under- or uninsured. Reach out to industry partners, such as the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, and local chapters of nonprofit organizations, such as the Lions Club or the United Way, to see how they can support your efforts. (See “Charitable Vision Organizations,” below.)
• Spread the word. Talk to patients about it, publish it in your newsletter, write about it on social media, have a staff meeting; all of this communication creates ambassadors for your programs. OM