Mobile Optometry Clinic in action
In recent weeks, the mobile clinic has greatly increased its level of activity in order to respond to the immediate need of the evacuees who fled their homes after the October 7th attack. Many of them fled from burned houses, under fire, running for their lives without basic equipment - such as glasses and contact lenses - that disappeared, were damaged or were simply left behind.
The clinic's optometrists provided assistance to evacuees in the Dead Sea area, Mitzpe Ramon, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv and other centers throughout the country where refugees were being sheltered. On each occasion, the experts treated dozens of young and old, women, men and children; carrying out eye exams and fitting free glasses for distance vision and reading - and even sunglasses.
The current situation is not easy for any of us. For those who lost family or friends and saw the face of absolute evil it is especially difficult. We are grateful for the privilege of being able to help them both on a practical level - fitting glasses so they can return to their usual activities as much as possible (in one case, for example, an interior designer from one of the kibbutzim needed glasses that would be compatible with her laptop instead of the desk-top, in order to work from her current place of residence) - and on an emotional level, to stand beside them in solidarity.
New medical equipment
Thanks to our generous donors, the mobile clinic was able to purchase an advanced "Retinomax" device for initial vision testing. The device is portable, small and specially adapted for use in the field - ideal for the mobile clinic that cannot travel with the usual heavy and cumbersome equipment. Retinomax provides the initial indication of the patient's medical need (correction for far-sighted vision, near-sighted correction, cylinder, etc.), and shortens and optimizes the examination time, allowing the professionals to attend to more patients each time they go into the field.
Because the device shortens the examination time, it is particularly effective for populations that find it difficult to sit still for a long time, such as young children, the elderly and critically, people with intellectual-developmental disabilities. Sometimes, the machine can make the difference between being able to examine a patient and giving up on a vision exam entirely.
For more information, please contact:
Randy E. Spiegel, CEO
Canadian Friends of Bar-Ilan University
O:416-781-4466
C:416-993-6746