OneSight Vision Clinic

One of my favorite things that we have done so far this semester was spending several days in the OneSight Vision Clinic. Since we spent so much time in the CMSD schools doing prescreenings for this clinic, it was a very cool experience to be able to be with the students when they completed the process. When we would see them at the schools we would tell them how exciting the vision clinic was and how great the glasses are that they would be receiving, but we only said this because we had been told by others. So when we actually got to go and see for ourselves, we could say these things with more certainty. The first day we were there, the OneSight staff, which was composed of people employed at various optical commercial shops from around the nation, was slightly wary of us. We had been told that they had worked with volunteers previously that were not extremely helpful, and mostly sat around and took up space. However, it didn't take long for us to prove that we were much better than that. We helped in all sections of the workshop, both on the clinic side, where the students were given a string of different eye exams, and on the lab side, where the glasses were actually made. I have been to the eye doctor only a few times, so everything was pretty foreign to me. And of course I had never worked in a lab making glasses before, so that was all new. Once we made it clear that we wanted to help and were willing to learn something new and do any job, the staff really opened up to us. I spent several of the days working in the tonometry station, which is where every student is tested for increased intraocular pressure (IOP). An increased IOP can be a warning sign for glaucoma, and would need a doctor's attention. I was able to meet many of the people working for OneSight, and just really enjoyed being a part of the process in the clinic. I am glad we were able to have this opportunity, and was so impressed by what we helped accomplish in the two weeks that we took part in the program.