March/April 2004
News

Seeing things more clearly

The University's Eye Clinic is looking for volunteers to have their eyes tested by final-year student optometrists.

Volunteers of any age are being offered a full eye examination and advice by final-year Optometry students - under Optometry staff supervision. Every year 27.5 million* people need to have regular eye tests and only 15 million of them do.

Volunteer Jack Heaton (pictured right at the Eye Clinic) has been having regular eye checks at Bradford for over 12 years.

He said: "It's not difficult, you just sit down for up to two hours for the test, which is a way of helping you to keep track of the condition of your eyes. If anything is found amiss, the clinic lets your GP know straight away.

"I'm paid expenses to cover my bus fare and the aftercare appointments are free of charge too. The only thing that it costs me is a little bit of my time."

In return for the investment of time spent being examined in the student clinics, regular weekly volunteers at Bradford receive 35% discount on spectacles, and contact lenses are supplied without a fitting fee. There are also added personal benefits to being a volunteer as Jack discovered.

"It's like joining a small but very friendly club," he added.

"We have a couple of get-togethers a year where all the volunteers meet up with the students and the highlight of the year is at graduation where you can see your help coming to fruition."

Eye Clinic Director Dr Simon Little said: "Our volunteers play a vital part in the training of optometry students and the high standards we achieve can be attributed, in no small measure, to their patience and dedication."

• For more information, call the University Eye Clinic reception staff on 01274 (23) 4649.

16 April 2004

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