‘You don't want to go blind': Mobile eye clinic reaches P.E.I. seniors
Blanche Westaway squinted at the eye chart set up in her Summerside, P.E.I., nursing home, trying to remember her last vision exam.
The 77 year old could not, and neither could several fellow residents at the facility.
'You don't want to go blind… a lot of people aren't doing this, and they should be,' Westaway said.
Optometrist Jessica Wood is trying to change that. Since April, she has loaded equipment into her Toyota RAV4 and visited care homes across the Island's western region, taking her services straight to seniors and reaching rural communities.
On Tuesday morning, her office was the chapel at Wedgewood Manor.
'I've heard 20 years. I've heard never,' Wood said about people's response when asked about their last vision test. 'I have put lenses in front of patients' eyes and had them say, 'Oh, my gosh, I didn't know I could see like this.''
P.E.I. eye exams
Optometrist is visiting care homes across P.E.I.'s western region, taking her straight service to seniors and reaching rural communities. (CTV News)
She received about $37,500 from the provincial government's Health Innovation Fund for the project, which covered most of her costs, but Wood has invested roughly $20,000 of her own money as well.
'It matters to me a lot,' she said. 'I know that the farther you are from Summerside or Charlottetown, the harder it is to get services.'
Wood explained that eye disease rates rise with age, but regular checkups become less likely for older adults, even though timely care can keep their vision from deteriorating.
Mobility challenges add another hurdle. Robert Gamble said a recent trip to an eye doctor with his 98 year old mother, Olga, required an accessible taxi and nearly three hours. The convenience of Wood's exam made all the difference.
'This was maybe 30 minutes, so it was quick and easy,' he said.
Olga, who has cataracts, is considering surgery.
'I can still do all my puzzles and things like that, crossword and number puzzles,' she said.
Wood has set her sights on visiting every long term and community care home in western P.E.I., determined to get patients the help they need, no matter where they live.
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‘You don't want to go blind': Mobile eye clinic reaches P.E.I. seniors
One P.E.I. optometrist decided to set up a mobile eye care clinic in order to take her services to seniors in long-term care home. Maria Sarrouh reports. Blanche Westaway squinted at the eye chart set up in her Summerside, P.E.I., nursing home, trying to remember her last vision exam. The 77 year old could not, and neither could several fellow residents at the facility. 'You don't want to go blind… a lot of people aren't doing this, and they should be,' Westaway said. Optometrist Jessica Wood is trying to change that. Since April, she has loaded equipment into her Toyota RAV4 and visited care homes across the Island's western region, taking her services straight to seniors and reaching rural communities. On Tuesday morning, her office was the chapel at Wedgewood Manor. 'I've heard 20 years. I've heard never,' Wood said about people's response when asked about their last vision test. 'I have put lenses in front of patients' eyes and had them say, 'Oh, my gosh, I didn't know I could see like this.'' P.E.I. eye exams Optometrist is visiting care homes across P.E.I.'s western region, taking her straight service to seniors and reaching rural communities. (CTV News) She received about $37,500 from the provincial government's Health Innovation Fund for the project, which covered most of her costs, but Wood has invested roughly $20,000 of her own money as well. 'It matters to me a lot,' she said. 'I know that the farther you are from Summerside or Charlottetown, the harder it is to get services.' Wood explained that eye disease rates rise with age, but regular checkups become less likely for older adults, even though timely care can keep their vision from deteriorating. Mobility challenges add another hurdle. Robert Gamble said a recent trip to an eye doctor with his 98 year old mother, Olga, required an accessible taxi and nearly three hours. The convenience of Wood's exam made all the difference. 'This was maybe 30 minutes, so it was quick and easy,' he said. Olga, who has cataracts, is considering surgery. 'I can still do all my puzzles and things like that, crossword and number puzzles,' she said. Wood has set her sights on visiting every long term and community care home in western P.E.I., determined to get patients the help they need, no matter where they live.
