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Optometry
Allen M. Stearne Elementary School in the Frankford section of Philadelphia has a diverse group of students. And, when they get to school, teachers and administration often find out that many suffer from poor vision.
“I have a lot of kids who come to me who are struggling in the classroom and they’re having headaches,” said Marybeth James, RN, BNS, CSN, school nurse for the past three years. “We have them see an eye doctor and lo and behold, they need glasses.”
But getting the students glasses wasn’t always as easy as it may appear. Many students at Stearne Elementary haven’t ever seen an eye doctor.
But these students and their parents need not worry. If they’re having trouble seeing, the Mobile Unit for Healthcare Resources (MUHR) from The Eye Institute (TEI), Salus at Drexel University Health, has been making regular stops at Stearne for the past several years, offering vision screenings, and then follow-up comprehensive eye exams and glasses for those students who need them. TEI is the clinical facility for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO).
According to Brandy Scombordi-Raghu, OD ‘98, Resident ‘99, director of Optometric Clinical Research at TEI and coordinator of the School Vision Programs, a recent stop at the school by the mobile unit resulted in 22 students having their eyes examined, all of whom were prescribed glasses. In addition to Dr. Scombordi-Raghu, the mobile unit was staffed by two Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Doctor clinical interns, optometric assistant Corina Elston and optical assistant and bus driver, Steve Lee.
The school vision program run through TEI is for underserved children in the Greater Philadelphia area. TEI provides vision screenings to help the school nurses and comprehensive eye exams both at TEI’s pediatric department and on the mobile unit.
The MUHR is a big bus transformed into a mobile clinic and includes all the essential equipment needed to complete a comprehensive vision exam, as well as hearing and speech-language screenings for children. The new and improved version of what used to be called the “Big Red Bus,” was first introduced in June 2024. It has additional capabilities with more optimized space usage and workflow, a generator and updated electrical systems.
Optometry intern Anna Eby ‘25OD, has staffed the bus many times over the years as a student at PCO. She said it has allowed her real-time exposure to working with younger patients.
“We try to see as many kids as possible while we’re here. Many of them won’t be able to get glasses if they don’t get with us on the bus,” said Eby. “I’ve done 20-plus cover tests so far today in just a few hours, which I wouldn’t get during a regular day in the clinic, so it’s really practice makes perfect for us.”
It was the fourth time staffing the bus for Sarah Bogdanovich ‘25OD.
“I think it’s very rewarding, not only for the kids but for us as well because it helps us realize that it’s important to give back to the community, especially to people in need.”
James, the school nurse, said having the mobile unit at the school is an opportunity that the students don’t always get, but when they do, they take full advantage of it.
“There is very little time taken out of class for the students to get their eyes examined,” she said. “They get to see the eye doctor and they have so much fun picking out their own glasses. It’s just a well-oiled machine and it keeps the students from missing a lot of school once they get their vision corrected.”
