Providing Vision Care to All: Bowden Eye Care and Health Center and UIW Eye Institute Provide Back-To-School Vision Services

Since opening in 2013, the UIW Bowden Eye Care and Health Center has served as a “multidisciplinary teaching environment equipped to provide comprehensive health care to underserved populations of our community.” Additionally, the UIW Eye Institute, located at the Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO), is a state-of-the-art clinic equipped with some of the most advanced imaging technology for diagnosing eye disease (optometry.uiw.edu). Generations of ocular professionals have been prepared to serve the community at RSO and its affiliates facilities, and this academic year is no different.

With the new school season having begun, many students from grades K-12 will be returning to their classrooms to continue expanding their knowledge and growing into their own person. However, growing students often experience vision changes and challenges that can make learning difficult. RSO seeks to help remedy some of these issues by providing cost effective services to children under the age of 18 at Bowden and the Eye Institute. These services include offering $25 off a comprehensive eye exam and $79 for complete eyeglasses.

“As an underserved area of the city, it was a strategic decision to place Bowden in that area,” explained Dr. Farshid Amir, RSO clinical assistant professor. “There are about 150,000 residents in that area and only one or two eyecare providers.”

Amir noted that the positive impact clinics such as these back-to-school services have been reflected during every patient visit. Whether it’s helping a child to receive their first pair of glasses, diagnosing or treating patients with glaucoma or removing hazardous material stuck in one’s eye, the impact of RSO’s clinics is palpable.

As a part of RSO, third and fourth-year students rotate through Bowden and the Eye Institute to gain first-hand experience involving a number of clinical services related to primary care, ocular disease, pediatrics and binocular vision departments and more. Amir noted that classroom learning can only go so far when preparing optometrists, and that allowing students to engage in hands-on experiences is necessary to developing successful professionals.

“The mission of RSO is to educate its interns and to take care of the community,” shared Amir. “The more the community members know about the services we provide, the more of a resource we can be to them.”

Many students have felt fortunate enough to be a part of these clinical opportunities, as it has allowed them to grow as professionals and meet with the various community members that they will continue to serve throughout their careers.

“I love rotating through the Bowden clinic because it gives us the capability to care for a very unique, predominantly underserved patient population,” expressed Frida Lopez, RSO fourth-year student. “Bowden serves a large Hispanic population that is primarily Spanish speaking. As a Latina as well as a first-gen doctoral student, I feel a deep connection to the patients that we serve. At this clinic, we are exposed to a diverse set of conditions that are pretty specific to both our patient demographics and area. I consider it a great responsibility and my greatest gift to be able to care for the ocular health of a patient population that I hope to be serving for the rest of my career as an optometrist.”

“I love that this clinic gets to meet people where they are at with whatever visual issues they have going on in their life,” commented Angela Hambree, RSO fourth-year student. “This clinic emphasizes treating the patient wholistically, including asking about medications to look for ocular side effects and referrals to other health professions to rule out systemic diseases. By becoming an optometrist, it’s important to be able to treat a wide variety of patients, each experiencing their own unique issues and remember not to look solely at their eyes but how we can improve their quality of life as a whole!”

Lopez and Hambree are just two of RSO’s remarkable students that will be helping to provide care for young students during RSO’s back-to-school services. If you are interested or know someone who may be interested in taking advantage of these services, show this voucher when visiting the UIW Eye Institute (9725 Datapoint Drive) or the Bowden Eye Care and Health Center (2547 E. Commerce St.). Please be aware that these special offers expire on Saturday, Nov. 1.