P.E.I. optometrist goes mobile to serve care homes in Prince County

2 month_ago 20

PEI

An Island optometrist has gone mobile, providing on-site oculus exams astatine semipermanent and assemblage attraction homes crossed occidental P.E.I. arsenic portion of a aviator task started this year.

'It has been fantastic and amended than I ever could person imagined erstwhile I dreamed up this project'

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 14, 2025 1:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 14

An optometrist holds glasses successful beforehand a lightbox during an eyesight trial successful Bremen, Germany, connected Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones is defending changes to optometry sum that trim the frequence of oculus exams for steadfast seniors, saying a caller statement strengthens attraction for radical with oculus conditions.

An Island optometrist has gone mobile, providing on-site oculus exams at semipermanent and assemblage attraction homes crossed occidental P.E.I..

Jessica Wood started the aviator task successful April with a $37,580 provincial grant. Since then, she has provided astir 100 oculus exams crossed Prince County.

"The patients are often precise blessed to person gotten an oculus exam, particularly due to the fact that galore of them haven't had an oculus exam successful a mates of years, oregon five, oregon 10, oregon adjacent 20."

Wood said she got the thought for the service portion moving in her office.

Island Morning6:33P.E.I. optometrist offers a mobile oculus exam work to immoderate seniors

A P.E.I. optometrist has been visiting semipermanent attraction homes successful occidental P.E.I. to connection on-site oculus care. We chatted with Dr. Jessica Wood to spot however the inaugural is going.

She said she sees galore patients from semipermanent and assemblage attraction who conflict to travel to her.

"And erstwhile I spot a idiosyncratic who has mobility issues, whether … they usage a wheelchair oregon they use a walker, I often deliberation to myself, 'It would person been truthful overmuch easier for maine to spell to you, than it was for you to travel to me.'"

Wood had nary thought however galore radical mightiness beryllium funny successful the initiative.

"I was hoping that it would conscionable beryllium somebody, that idiosyncratic would payment from this. And, successful immoderate of the homes we've been to, I've seen much than fractional of the residents.

"It has been fantastic and amended than I ever could person imagined erstwhile I dreamed up this project," Wood said.

Two women wearing masks sojourn with a elder surviving successful a semipermanent attraction home. The elder is successful a wheelchair. There are Christmas decorations.

Promoting imaginativeness health

Wood said present adjacent much residents successful these homes are looking to instrumentality part. "At each location I've been to there's been a important uptake," she said.

According to the province, radical surviving successful semipermanent and assemblage attraction are among the astir susceptible erstwhile it comes to imaginativeness health. Wood said the main crushed for imaginativeness loss isn't hard to remedy.

"The No. 1 origin of imaginativeness nonaccomplishment is either not wearing glasses erstwhile you should be, oregon wearing the improper glasses, and that is truthful easy fixable."

She hopes the programme tin proceed agelong aft this archetypal phase.

"Coming successful to bash oculus exams erstwhile is great, but benignant of doing this — visiting backmost yearly oregon each different twelvemonth to get immoderate benignant of continuity of attraction — I deliberation would beryllium adjacent better."

Wood said appointments tin beryllium booked done the Prince County Mobile Eye Exam Services Facebook page, oregon by phone.