Med students bring free eye care clinic to Champaign-Urbana
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A group of medical students are making sure people without insurance in Central Illinois can see a brighter future.
Avicenna Community Health Center has been offering health care for the past five years.
A doctor advises students running the clinic. They said for people without vision insurance, they now have a place to get needed checkups.
Avicenna is one of three free clinics in the Champaign-Urbana area, but they are the only one to offer eye care. Not only does the clinic offer potentially life-saving checkups, but they also help medical students who may not have had much real-life experience.
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Bhargavee Gnanasambandam is lead student of the eye care clinic. She said it can also help students who are unsure which medical field they want to pursue.
“This is a really great opportunity for students to really get started immediately and start seeing ophthalmology patients, start getting an idea of if this is their specialty for them,” Gnanasambandam said. “I think it’s a great experience that has really changed my perspective on ophthalmology, and I’m absolutely sure I want to go into it.”
She said they have seen 30 patients since starting the service in 2023, and the waitlist continues to grow. Students offer screenings for diabetes and cataracts, and they hope to expand services by providing free glasses.
Students said they are also looking into grants to offer free cataracts surgery. If you want to help them expand services, you can donate by heading to their website.
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