EyeQue

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – For nearly a decade, Anna Thompson worked in vision care, learning more about the lack of accessibility in vision care.

Thompson also worked at the office during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing a trend among her patients.

“About three years ago I was working at an ophthalmology office and ophthalmology has more of an elderly patient base,” Thompson said. “I saw how COVID affected their care. “

In 2022, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 5.7 percent of individuals, did not have a car or some form of transportation to get them to their appointments on time, or even at all. The CDC also reported this number increased with age.

“A lot of elderly people live in assisted living, nursing homes,” Thompson said. “They’re not able to drive themselves.”

With this issue in mind, Thompson brainstormed the idea to run a mobile vision care service known as Express Eyewear. In her services, she would do a traditional vision test and eyeglass fitting that would be normally performed at an office, in the comfort of a patient’s home or office space.

“I started thinking, why can’t I just come to them?” Thompson said. “I would save them so much trouble. They could stay in their bed if needed and I would be able to do the whole work up for them.”

After transitioning from a traditional brick-and-mortar setting, Thompson began considering her elderly patients and those unable to attend appointments.

“A lot of people are busy, they’re working remote, they’re working more now,” Thompson said. “It’s hard for them to fit an eye exam or eye glass shopping into their workday.”

April Wade, a homeschool teacher and mother of four, uses her glasses to see and tend to her hobbies like crocheting. With little time on her hands during the day, she finds it challenging for her to make time for her appointments.

“My day is consumed with teaching children, being with the children and running errands with them,” Wade said.

Now, she is able to contact Thompson to arrive at her doorstep a vision test and eyeglass fitting for herself and her children.

“Taking the pressure off of loading kids up, we have to be somewhere at a certain time when Anna can just come to us,” Wade said.

Thompson hopes to use her service as a way to bring awareness to the need for more mobile services like this one.

“Sadly some of these people have kind of been forgotten about,” Thompson said. “You know we just expect them to just access this just like anybody else so I think its important for vision care to be just as accessible as home healthcare.”

For more information on Express Eyewear, visit Thompson’s Facebook page under Express Eyewear or visit her website.

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