LIHUE — Following the successful response to the free Kauai Dental Clinic presented by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, both Kapaa and Lawai campuses, Dr. Janie Yoo of the Kauai Eye Institute announced a free eye exam day with discounted pricing on frames.
Yoo was volunteering with the Kauai Dental Clinic and said a similar event should be held for people needing eye care.
People of all ages responded on Thursday as Dr. Kaiea Iwasaki, one of three eye care doctors at the Eye Institute, headed the operation that offered free eye exams.
With no facility to offer grinding for eyewear, Yoo said they had a supply of specially priced frames that when coupled with a single-vision prescription, yielded reasonably priced eyewear.
Les Oride, the son of Dr. Michael Oride, was one of the staff helping with the flow of patients. Yoo took over Oride’s practice when the eye doctor decided it was time to retire.
“This is practice for me,” Les Oride said. “We’ve never done anything like that so it’s definitely practice.”
Patients were booked according to available time slots with at least 14 clients by midmorning.
“Our goal is 30 patients for today,” said Jessica Manzano, one of the Eye Institute reception staff. “At approximately $100 value of services for each patient, if we fill all the slots, that’s about $30,000 worth of services provided.”
Yoo said the free eye exam clinic is to get the Eye Institute prepared to host more clinics in the future. Additionally, she said she wants the staff to be prepared for future Kauai Dental Clinics so they can help.
For more information, visit www.kauaieye.com, or call 808-245-8765.
