CHICAGO (AP) — Needy Chicagoans with vision problems will get help from the Illinois Eye Institute thanks to more than $300,000 in private grants.
Federal data suggest that 26 percent of underserved adults have vision disorders. These include conditions linked with diabetes and other chronic illnesses.
The grant money will fund a pilot program at clinics in several low-income neighborhoods.
The institute's Dr. Leonard Messner says it will bring eye care to people "suffering most, who are least likely to receive it."
The institute is a training facility for the Illinois College of Optometry. Students will be trained in the program on how to address challenges facing the underserved.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
