Pacific Dedicates New EyeVan

The Pacific University College of Optometry will dedicate its new EyeVan at a special ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 9, in Parking Lot C.

College of Optometry faculty and staff, along with dignitaries and several of the donors who helped make the new mobile eye care unit possible, will be on hand for the ceremony and tours of the EyeVan. RSVP today to join the celebration.

The College of Optometry launched its first EyeVan in 2003. Using a retrofitted delivery van as a mobile clinic, optometry faculty and students traveled throughout the Portland area to provide vision screenings to underserved populations, including children and migrant workers.

After more than a decade, though, the original van was no longer functional. With the support of several corporations, foundations and private donors, the college spent this summer working with a vendor to outfit a new 33-foot recreational vehicle into the new EyeVan.

The EyeVan features two full exam lanes, where students and practitioners will provide comprehensive exams, including screenings for eye disease related to diabetes and high blood pressure. The new vehicle will allow the college to expand both the number of patients it serves and the geographic region where it travels, expanding into Washington and central Oregon.

RSVP today by emailing Kristin Kondo Storfa at kstorfa@pacificu.edu to attend the EyeVan Dedication ceremony on March 9.