National Diabetes Month
Every November, many optometrists participate in a special initiative sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. Since people with diabetes are at an increased risk for eye problems, including blindness, optometrists perform dilated eye examinations to evaluate the eye health of persons with diabetes, and provide and/or arrange for subsequent care.

One of the goals for National Diabetes Month 2000 was to increase awareness among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes of the importance of annual dilated eye exams. The program coordinators further promoted the program to Medicare beneficiaries by waiving the deductible and co-payments for those in financial need and by arranging transportation to and from the optometrist’s office.

VOSH
Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) is an international organization, which was established for the purpose of providing vision care to under-served areas of the world. Twice a year volunteer optometrists and optometry students from the New England College of Optometry travel to underprivileged areas of the world where eye care is unobtainable and/or unaffordable. Each individual is screened for eye disease, has his/her vision tested and, when needed, fitted with eyeglasses, which have been donated. For many patients, this is the first time they have had the benefits of clear vision and the detection of threatening eye diseases. To learn more about VOSH, click here.

VISION USA
VISION USA is the national public service program sponsored by the American Optometric Association, which provides free eye examinations to low-income working Americans and their families. Nationwide, optometrists volunteer their eye care services to those who do not have insurance that covers eye examinations and who cannot afford eye care. To date, VISION USA has provided eye care to more than 283,000 people across the nation.

Through the VISION USA program, optometrists have diagnosed a wide variety of eye health, vision and general health problems in people who may have had no other way to get the eye care they needed. Among the conditions diagnosed have been detached retina, a retinal tear, glaucoma, cataracts, strabismus, low vision, hypertensive retinopathy, diabetes, high blood pressure and at least one brain tumor. Nearly nine out of ten VISION USA patients examined in the first ten years of the program had one or more eye health or vision problems. 

Special Olympics
Every June, members of the Massachusetts Society of Optometrists volunteer to conduct eye screenings at the Mass. Special Olympics. Others volunteer to participate as part of the program’s referral network. The Olympians are referred to this second tier of volunteers should their vision screenings determine that they need further eye care and they do not have a regular optometrist.