Community Eye Care (CEC), the community service arm of the UAB School of Optometry, recently received a gift from HOYA Vision Care supporting CEC’s mission to provide comprehensive eye care to Alabama’s underserved communities.
Dr. Sims with patient.Led by associate professor and supervisor for the Primary Care Residency program at the UAB School of Optometry, Janene Sims, O.D., Ph.D., CEC provides vision screenings and comprehensive eye care to nearly 3,000 patients across the Birmingham metro area and throughout the state per year. In addition to a mobile clinic, clinical faculty and optometry students see patients five days a week at the Western Health Center in Midfield, Alabama.
“Under Dr. Sims’ leadership CEC is making a significant positive impact on our community,” said Kelly Nichols, dean of the UAB School of Optometry. “HOYA’s generosity will further enhance the team’s capability to provide patient care where access is needed most.”
HOYA, a global med-tech leader in optical lenses, has been a longstanding partner to UAB optometry, with many of its products and lenses used and sold daily in the school’s clinics.
“This gift shows that they’re not just involved in eye care and selling lenses. They want to help people,” Sims said. “We are truly grateful for that.”
Serving patients in both urban and rural areas, CEC reaches underserved populations who might otherwise have limited access to critical vision care services.
But CEC doesn’t just benefit the community. UAB optometry students who assist in CEC’s operations gain invaluable hands-on experience, learning to diagnose and treat complex eye conditions while providing much-needed services to vulnerable populations.
Warren Modlin, the Vice President of Technical Marketing at HOYA Vision Care, emphasized the importance of training young optometrists as a key reason for HOYA’s decision to support UAB.
“One of HOYA’s main beliefs and purpose is to elevate and inspire the next generation of eye care providers,” Modlin said. “That’s very close to our heart as new practitioners come in and become leaders in the industry.”
School of Optometry students at Gift of Sight event.Apart from HOYA’s core values, giving back to CEC is personal for Modlin. Originally from South Africa and an optometrist by trade, he has fond memories of providing eye care for his community while in training.
“The community embraced us because we were learning,” he said. “They gave us flexibility to learn, and in turn, we were able to serve underserved or less fortunate communities from the very start. It struck me personally as a way to help students develop their skills and meet a community need that could very much benefit from it.”
The School of Optometry is passionate about the same thing. For more than a decade, following the week of Thanksgiving, CEC organizes and hosts Gift of Sight—providing free comprehensive eye exams and glasses for low-income or underinsured people in need of vision and eye care. The annual event allows those in need to receive important diagnoses and treatment of ocular conditions such as glaucoma, detached retina, ocular hypertension, and degenerative myopia. The 2000th Gift of Sight patient was seen in 2023.
Sims said in addition to facilitating technological upgrades, purchasing supplies, and providing travel funds, HOYA’s gift will support the 2024 Gift of Sight week.
Modlin said supporting optometrists in caring for their communities is a pillar of the corporation.
“We sell products as our daily transactions, but who we are is elevating the industry to change the way people see the world. Each optometrist is independently caring for the community, but it doesn’t mean that they are alone,” Modlin said. “That’s where HOYA comes in.”
