Five students from Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), along with a faculty advisor were in Washington, D.C., partnered with Vision Service Plan’s Global Eyes of Hope, the Washington Nationals baseball team, Nike and sports vision optometrist and PCO alum Dr. Keith Smithson in August to help screen and provide glasses to more than 100 children in the D.C. area.
“It was really nice to have a more one-on-one experience with the screening,” said Sports Vision Club President Sofia Schedler, ‘21 OD. “The doctors that were there really let us do the screenings, and then they would sign off and make sure we were doing everything correctly.”
The screenings for the children were held at a sports complex owned by the Nationals. There was a mobile clinic available, so if a child needed glasses immediately, they received them right then and there, according to Schedler. Even if they didn’t qualify for glasses, each child (and the Salus PCO students) received a free pair of sunglasses.
It was the second year that PCO students have been invited to participate and learn from one of their own, Dr. Smithson.