PURSUiNG MEdicAl cAREERS AFtER SERviNG thEiR cOUNtRy

College of OptometryProvides Eye Care forMontclair UnderservedSecond-year CO student, Nehal Verma performs avision screening on Alexis Cardenes, 10.AAt a Montclair apartment complex for lowincomefamilies, children and teenagers werebrought over in small groups to the communitycenter to have their vision examined. They hadanxious and inquisitive looks on their faces asthey spied the WesternU team members and allthe optometric equipment they brought.Most of the children were part of Hope ThroughHousing Foundation’s after-school program,which offers youth at the low-income sites asupervised venue and resources for studying.Fifty-nine children received complete eye healthand vision screenings from seven WesternUniversity of Health Sciences College ofOptometry students and Kristy Remick, OD,FCOVD, Director of Community Outreach.“The goal is to provide low-income childrenwith greater access to eye health care andtreatment,” Dr. Remick said. “We’ve found thatthere is a correlation between children whostruggle in school and visual deficits. Ourscreening is comprehensive, and we can identifya wide range of vision problems.”One-third of the children screened wereidentified as requiring further care and werereferred to the Eye Care Center at WesternU.6 Western University of Health Sciences