VSP Blog

Part of VSP’s Mobile Eyes Program includes portable lanes of ophthalmic equipment that we loan at no cost to VSP doctors and Schools of Optometry to support their community charitable events. For the second year in row, we worked with Dr. Gilbert Matsuoka, a VSP doctor who practices in the bay area town of Pleasant Hill, CA, by supporting his community outreach program in Oakland, CA in conjunction with over 100 volunteers from his church and in partnership with World Impact. World Impact offers many programs that strengthen, promote and help the community.

Dr. Matsuoka plans, organizes and executes an amazing four day event in Oakland. He pulls many volunteers from his church, and is supported with help from students at UC Berkeley College of Optometry, and many of the local optometrist. It is quite impressive to see what he accomplishes with all of these volunteers! The Mobile Eyes program set up six lanes of portable equipment to support his efforts and also provides all of the glasses for the patients. This year we broke all of the records with our program – in one day we saw 120 patients, we had our highest RX ever, a gentleman who is legally blind, and we have served our oldest patient – a 97 year old woman who seems to have more energy than I do!!

 There were so many touching moments last week, we were thanked by each and everyone of the patients and they were are all so grateful for the services we provided. So many of them have commented on how kind and sweet each and every volunteer has been! They are amazed at the beautiful frames that they are able to select from (thank you Marchon for the donated frames!!).

We had a four year old little boy who was diagnosed Thursday with Glaucoma – pressures were extremely high and after a lengthy consultation with Dr. Matsuoka, the child’s parents understand the importance of getting him in to see a doctor through the local free clinic for follow up care.