Community Outreach
We see you
Free eye exams to the uninsured. Vision screenings for entire elementary schools. Glasses for people who desperately need but can’t afford them.
These are just a few ways our students give their service and expertise to the community. In return, they receive the gift of working in diverse clinical settings, where financial, geographic, or physical barriers prevent access to basic eye care.
This is why the IU School of Optometry graduates doctors who have a greater awareness of the issues that influence access to health care, and who continue to engage in the communities where they live and work.
MLK Day of Vision in Bloomington
The IU School of Optometry partners with our community to serve the eyecare needs of un- and under-insured individuals on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Our students, faculty, and staff volunteer their time at our Atwater Eye Care Center to provide free eye exams and glasses those in need throughout the Bloomington community.
IU School of Optometry Community Outreach (IUSOCO) program
The IU School of Optometry Community Outreach program provides access to vision health care services for the medically underserved. In addition, glasses and medically necessary contact lenses are provided to qualified patients at a reduced rate.
Contact IUSOCO at 317-321-1470 to learn more.
Special Olympics
As part of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program, IUSO provides comprehensive vision screenings to participating athletes.
As part of the most recent program, IUSO provided comprehensive vision sreenings to nearly 400 athletes and dispensed 450 pair of prescription sunglasses, recreational glasses, dress spectacles, and swim googles - all at no cost to the athlete.
School vision screenings
The IU School of Optometry has provided school vision screening for kindergarteners and first graders at more than a dozen schools in Bloomington and Indianapolis. These screenings help identify students who need glasses or other interventions to help them function at their highest level in school and later in life.
Bloomington Health Center (formerly Volunteers in Medicine)
The Bloomington Health Center - part of the Indiana HealthNet system - provides medical services to Indiana residents, including those who qualify for discounted fees based on family size and annual income.
We partner with the Bloomington Health Center to offer free comprehensive vision care and reduced cost eyeglasses to those who qualify.
Science Fest
Have you ever wondered...How do we see? Why do some people need glasses? Why do we have two eyes? What would it be like to be an optometrist? Join the Indiana University School of Optometry at Science Fest to learn why…and have fun in the process!
Habitat Build
Each year, IU School of Optometry students raise money to fund a Habitat for Humanity build in Monroe County, Indiana. IUSO students and faculty also contribute their time and expertise to help with construction of the house.
InfantSEE
The School of Optometry is an active participant in InfantSEE, a public health program designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care. Under this program, our optometrists provide comprehensive infant eye assessments within the first year of life as a no-cost public health service.
Volunteering around the world
Since 2015, Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) has traveled to Jamaica to provide care to elementary school students, workers in the hospitality industry, and other community members.
Prior to that, VOSH traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico, where for 25 years they provided care to approximately 3,000 patients each year, while also dispensing 15,000 pairs of glasses. As part of that 25-year legacy, the IU School of Optometry helped build a clinic in Silao that still tends to the needs of the local populace.
Vision for the Future
Vision for the Future focuses on children's eye care before they start school.
Learn more about Vision for the Future