Over this past weekend, we partnered with an organization here in Portland to give glasses to some folks in need. The people were identified by a local organization called the Wallace Medical Concern. These folks do not have health insurance and, as you will see later in the post, some were in serious need of a pair of specs! The clinic was part of a larger event called Compassion Rockwood where folks were able to come to the Portland Lutheran School in SE PDX and receive all sorts of health care: dental care, vision care, chiropractic care, etc, etc…
We were able to partner with some doctors from Kaiser which brought enough equipment to set up 3 exam lanes. We also tested folks for glaucoma and general eye health. Once each patient wrapped up with the exam, they chose a frame, and will be able to pick them up in ~4 weeks.
The frames were donated to us through a local retailer: Reynold’s Optical. Gary (from Reynolds) has been incredibly supportive of helping us give back and he was kind enough to provide us with excess inventory he had on hand. In addition, the edging/finishing of the lenses is being done by HOYA. We also had some opticians and optometrists from local clinics volunteering as well: Shannon from The Eye Studio and Charissa and Dr. Summy To from Myoptic!
One thing I noticed was the severity of some of the prescriptions. For example, one of the glasses we gave to a gentleman had the following prescription: -6.75, -6.00!
I’m a -4.50 in each eye and without my glasses, I’m virtually blind. I have no clue how these folks are getting by without being able to see properly!
Anyways, this was our first of many clinics this summer…stay tuned for more.
Stay Glassy,
Kyle
kyle@141eyewear.com
