Eye Care and Employment

Eye care can mean the difference between employment and unemployment for homeless people. Individuals with poor eyesight, who obtain jobs and work without wearing corrective lens, pose risks both for themselves and others in the work place.

Helping Hands Clinic collaborates with University Opticians of Gainesville to provide homeless individuals with eye exams and prescription glasses. In 2014 we assisted 140 individuals. In the past five years we have provided eye care for 1,200 individuals.

Routine exams can reveal serious eye conditions. When that happens patients are referred to our collaborators from the We Care program, located at the Alachua County Health Department. Volunteer specialists will provide specialty care there, at no charge to patients.

While these collaborators help us in many ways, your help is still needed to bring important eye care services to our clinic patients. Here are some ways you can help:

exam and bifocal glasses– $200
An eye exam and pair of single vision glasses–$120
antibiotic eye drops for eye infections– $50

Donate now. Every dollar you give will purchase supplies and glasses for our patients who badly need them. Your partnership is important to us. Thank you for helping us make a healthy difference in the lives of our community’s homeless population.