This van delivers vision care to underinsured people across the Pittsburgh region

Some of Pitt’s neighbors are getting a fresh perspective — thanks to free vision care from the Department of Ophthalmology’s Eyes on Wheels program. In partnership with the Office of Engagement and Community Affairs, the program brought its signature van to Hazelwood Towers, a senior low-income housing apartment unit.

Residents received comprehensive eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, retinal imaging and glaucoma screenings, all free of charge. Attendees who needed them were also mailed a new pair of glasses, provided by Changing Life through Lenses.

Removing barriers to optometry care is just one example of Pitt’s long-term partnership with its local community partners to boost neighborhood health. The University’s collaborative efforts are executed through its Neighborhood Commitments, which provide support in the form of staffing, infrastructure and coordination between Pitt and Pittsburgh’s Homewood, Hill District, Oakland and Greater Hazelwood neighborhoods.

For older adults with mobility issues, it can be difficult to leave their homes for doctors’ appointments, said Heidi Ward, director of Pitt’s Neighborhood Commitment in Greater Hazelwood.

“Bringing health and wellness resources to Hazelwood Towers is a huge win for everybody in the community,” she said.

Cynthia Love is one of the older adults who visited the vision clinic at Hazelwood Towers. “A lot of us are seniors can't go anywhere when the weather is bad, we're stuck,” she said.

She also mentioned her relief at not having to pay for her new reading glasses.

“My Nana always said, ‘Free is your best price,’” Love said. “Wasn't she right?”

Closing the care gap

Hazelwood Towers is just the latest stop in Eyes on Wheels’ outreach. Since 2024, the free service provider that’s staffed by School of Medicine medical students, UPMC residents and University faculty has grown its community partnerships from two participating sites to 40. Because the program is designed to reach the uninsured and under-insured people, most Eyes on Wheels events are held in senior and assisted living facilities, community clinics and food banks. Each month, the program visits at least six partner locations in the Pittsburgh region as well as Greene, Butler and Washington counties.

“Our goal is to meet patients where they are,” said Zeila Hobson, community outreach and remote access program manager in Pitt’s Department of Ophthalmology and the UPMC Vision Institute.

Hobson, citing a 2002 and 2008 National Health Interview Survey, noted that older adults with age-related eye diseases are less likely to visit an eye provider if they are low-income.

And getting vision care services to those who need them most is crucial. “If something’s wrong with the eye, it’s because there’s a domino effect happening somewhere else in the body,” she added. Many health problems reveal themselves in vision exams, including diabetes, high blood pressure and autoimmune disorders.

“We hope that by embedding eye services where people don’t necessarily get them, we can mitigate some of those other health concerns as well,” Hobson said.