Eyecare Express Hosts Free Eye Screening Clinic in St Pauls

By Joyette Mills-Ward
Business Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Dr. Ike Duru examines patient's eyes

SKNVibes.com spoke to Evron Warner a Lab Manager at Eyecare Express and the co-ordinator of the event who explained that although the clinic was aimed at identifying eye problems in children, the screening was also open to adults from the surrounding communities.

“Eyecare Express has provided free initial screenings to the children and adults who are not already wearing glasses. If someone is already wearing glasses it means that their eye problem has already been identified. If a problem is identified during screening and the person needs to be outfitted with glasses, then they would come to Eyecare Express to have a follow-up examination,” he said.

Warner said in an effort to alleviate some of the financial burden that rests upon the parents of children in need of glasses, Eyecare Express had made two very impactful gestures at the St Pauls Community Centre Vision Fair.

Evron Warner, Vision Fair Co-ordinator

The first was to eliminate the full cost of the follow-up examination for children and students in need of eyeglasses who came to the St Pauls’ Community Vision Fair while the second gesture was to reduce the price of the actual eyeglasses through the distribution of Discount Coupons to the parents creating savings of different percentages ranging between 15% and 40%. Warner said that the gestures were meant to encourage parents to get the glasses that may have otherwise been unaffordable to the less fortunate.

Warner said, “We have found in the past is that if we don’t do that and they come to screen, the parent knows that the child needs the glasses but they still don’t do the follow up. It becomes a very futile exercise if you don’t put something in place to get the glasses to children, especially at this time of the year because exams are just around the corner.”

Warner revealed that Eyecare Express liaised with the faculty of the Newton Ground, Dieppe Bay and St Pauls Primary Schools and asked the teachers there to identify students who they felt needed glasses. These children were allowed to be amongst the first individuals screened at the Eye Screening Clinic. 

~~Adz:Left~~Eyecare Express employees manned four stations at the event; the Educational Literature/Flyers & Giveaways station, the Booking station, the Doctor’s station and the Follow-up station. The Educational Literature/Flyers Giveaways Station provided leaflets and wall posters describing different eye conditions and distributed give-aways such as pens, pencils, cleaning cloths, cleaning solution and contact lens cases to participants.

At the Doctor’s station Dr Ike Duru, an Optometrist at Eyecare Express used an eye-chart and sensitive equipment to examine patients’ eyes who then proceeded to the Follow-Up station to provide the laboratory technician with personal information and make tentative appointment dates.

Prior to yesterday’s Vision Fair, Eyecare Express made efforts to sensitise students at the Dieppe Bay, St. Pauls’ and Newton Ground primary schools about eye care through the distribution of handouts, making of educational presentations, lectures and visual displays.

Warner said that the Vision Fairs were being taken to the rural communities to ensure that a wider cross section of the population benefitted from the free service.

He said there were two other Vision Fairs being planned for rural areas, namely Cayon and Sandy Point, adding that plans were in place for an Eyecare Express Vision Fair to be held in Gingerland, Nevis on June 14, 2008.