Eye Care America
The holidays are a great time to give back. Since our inception, Dr. Patel has been an active volunteering ophthalmologist at Eye Care America, a public service program of The Foundation of The American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Its mission is to preserve sight by raising awareness about eye disease and providing access to medical eye care. By age 65, one in three Americans has some form of vision-limiting eye disease. To help address this growing need, Eye Care America provides eye care to US citizens and legal residents through volunteer ophthalmologists (Eye M.D.s) at no cost to those who qualify.
Dr. Patel and his staff are proud to have served over 50 patients during this calendar year that lacked access to care and/or could not afford care for one reason or another. Whether the patients were afflicted with cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration or glaucoma, the program fights vision-limiting diseases.
“Participating in programs such as Eye Care America keeps me grounded on the primary premise upon which I pursued the field of medicine, and that was to help people,” Dr. Patel recollects.
K.N.I.G.H.T.S. Clinic
Keeping Neighbors In Good Health Through Service. Simply, KNIGHTS. The KNIGHTS Clinic is coordinated by medical students at the College of Medicine at UCF. It’s mission is to provide quality healthcare and health education to members of the population without access to such services while nurturing an interest in underserved medicine in future health professionals.
As an assistant professor at the College of Medicine, Dr. Patel, alongside medical students, has proudly volunteered on a routine basis this year to provide underserved individuals in Central Florida with quality care, such as performing diabetic eye exams, glaucoma screenings and cataract screenings.
“It’s a great experience because my time at the Grace Medical Home, where the clinic is held, combines teaching and volunteering for the ultimate health and betterment of underserved patients,” Dr. Patel explains.
The community-based approach is staffed by physician volunteers and students from all areas of study including, medical school, nursing school, as well as undergraduate studies.
Holiday Drives
This holiday season, Lake Nona Ophthalmology has partnered with Second Harvest of Central Florida as well as Toys For Tots to bring cheer in the form of food and toys to our less fortunate neighbors in the area.
Throughout the month, we will be collecting donations in the form of non-perishable food items, unwrapped toys, as well as monetary donations to help these causes.
“The drive has been a success so far and I’m proud to give back to our community with the help of our patients,” Dr. Patel exclaims.
