Students in Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry are providing eye care services to about 65 elementary school students through an annual partnership aimed at serving the community and helping young people be successful.

Students from Fremont, Hesperia, White Cloud and Newaygo will visit the MCO’s Dow Interactive Learning Center on Tuesday, Oct. 24, between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to have complete eye exams performed by MCO third-and fourth-year students and supervised by volunteering faculty.

The Students in Need of Eyecare program was established in 2012 to support rural, high-poverty school districts in the region, providing children identified by the school as lacking access to eye care services with comprehensive, dilated eye examinations and complimentary glasses.

“Healthy eyes and good vision are critical to learning,” said MCO professor Sarah Hinkley, O.D. “The children receive a fun field-trip experience and the Michigan College of Optometry students and faculty use their skills to give back.”

Hinkley said the program started after a conversation with her father, an elementary teacher in a high-poverty rural school district, to assist children who need eye exams and glasses but don’t have access to care because of geography, finances, or parental involvement.

The elementary students also receive an opportunity to visit the university, planting the seed of a college education.

The program is funded through grants this year from the Fremont Area Community Foundation in partnership with the Fremont Lions Club.

“The program would not be possible without the leadership of the Fremont Lions Club, the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University, and the school staff who make it happen,” Hinkley said. “It would also not be possible without the generous grant funding of the Fremont Area Community Foundation.”

Members of the Fremont Lions Club and the newly formed Kiwanis Club in Big Rapids will assist the school chaperones. If a child needs glasses, he or she will be taken to our University Eye Center optical department to select them. Glasses will be hand-delivered after they are made.

Ferris State’s MCO is the only optometry college in Michigan and delivers personalized instruction that emphasizes practical experience. The program prepares doctoral and post-doctoral students for careers as optometric healthcare providers serving patients and society through its research, scholarly activity, evidence-based clinical education, and patient-centered care.

Service is a key part of the MCO mission. The on-site University Eye Center gives students early opportunities for practical experience in a busy healthcare setting. The Eye Center is a full-service clinic serving university employees, students, and the surrounding community. In addition to providing comprehensive care, the UEC has specialty clinics in ocular disease, pre-and post-surgical care, specialty contact lenses, pediatrics, and binocular vision and vision therapy.

Additional information about Michigan College of Optometry programs is available here.