WHAT:    This Sunday Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute Vision Screening Vehicle will be providing free eye exams for people with diabetes as part of World Diabetes Day. The screening is part of the Chris Dudley Foundation’s World Diabetes Day – Circle the Square Event.

WHEN:        10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14

WHEN:        Pioneer Courthouse Square, downtown Portland

DETAILS:    OHSU’s Casey Eye Institute is offering the free screening because a very high percentage of people with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy, a condition resulting in vision loss. It is also a leading cause of blindness in American adults.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in blood vessels located in the retina, a tissue that lines the interior of the eye. Vessels are damaged and leak fluid in some patients, while in others, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. These changes may result in vision loss or blindness.

Frequently, there are no symptoms until the damage is severe.  Diabetic retinopathy cannot be completely avoided, but the risk can be greatly reduced, especially if it is detected early through regular eye exams. 

The Casey Eye Institute Vision Screening Vehicle is a fully equipped mobile eye exam unit designed to bring high quality eye care to underserved members of the community by screening for common preventable and treatable conditions related to hypertension, diabetes, macular degeneration, and glaucoma across Oregon.  The vehicle was purchased and outfitted through the generosity of private donors. Doctors, staff, students, and volunteers from Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute, as well as other community providers, volunteer their time to complete every aspect of the free screenings, from driving, to patient education, registration, and vision screening. This is the inaugural use of the vehicle, the latest addition to the Casey Eye Institute.

For more information about the Chris Dudley Foundation, visit www.chrisdudley.org/

For more information about World Diabetes Day, visit www.worlddiabetesday.org/

About Casey Eye Institute
As part of Oregon Health & Science University, the Casey Eye Institute is an academic regional eye center. It is named after James and George Casey, founders of United Parcel Service. The Casey Eye Institute is also one of only seven regional eye research centers in the nation sponsored by Research to Prevent Blindness, the world's leading voluntary organization in support of eye research. The Casey Eye Institute has operated the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic since 1949, thanks to the generous support of the Oregon State Elks Association.

About The Chris Dudley Foundation
The Chris Dudley Foundation provides diabetes information and other resources via the World Wide Web and through outreach events to young people diagnosed with the disease and their families. Their efforts include ways include the promotion of living healthy lives while being physically active, diet, information on how to cope with juvenile diabetes and information and directing others where to find specific diabetes information.