We Can Make A Difference: The Need For Optometrists To Reach Out To The Underprivileged With Eyecare And Education.

This paper discusses the results of a random glaucoma screening involving primarily low income, black individuals and reveals the overwhelming need for optometrists to reach out to this population with eyecare and education. This random glaucoma screening was instituted on site at the three satellite clinics of Comprehensive Health Services of Detroit, Inc. (CHSD) which is a health maintenance organization serving the Wayne County Detroit area. The screening involved a brief medical history with questions regarding medications used, length of time since the participant's last eye examination by a licensed eye care practitioner, personal medical history, history of glaucoma (self and family), direct ophthalmoscopy with evaluation of C/D ratio and overall health of the optic nerve, noncontact tonometry. Three licensed optometrists along with myself, a fourth year optometry student, performed the previously stated procedures with the assistance of CHSD Medical Assistants. We screened 395 individuals: 276 female and 119 male with majority being over the age of eighteen years old. The subjects participated in the screening on a volunteer basis, however, it must be noted that the majority of the participants were CHSD members due to the location of the screening sites. After evaluating the screening results it was apparent there was a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes(NIDDM and IDDM), and glaucoma(positives or suspects) within this population as well as low compliance with eye examinations, therefore, revealing the great need for optometrists to screen and educate this population. This paper's data was obtained from a very small sector of the Detroit inner-city population and it can be assumed that the majority of the individuals that did not participate in the screening are the ones that are acquiring the least amount of medical care, therefore, needing our services the most. A few of the many ways optometrists can reach out to this population with education and eyecare are also presented in this paper.