title: UR Well Eye Care: a model for medical student ophthalmology education and service in the community.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess medical student ophthalmic educational exposure and service provided through the University of Rochester's UR Well Eye Care (URWEC) program, a student-run initiative in which medical students provide supervised eye care to an uninsured urban population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients seen at the student-run URWEC in Rochester, NY, USA between June 2008 and June 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-five of 148 charts of consecutive patients seen at URWEC over the 5-year period were identified and reviewed. Data on patient demographics, reason for visit, history, examination, diagnoses, and management were collected into a database.
  
  
  METHODS
  Main outcome measures included reasons for referral, student performance of ophthalmic examination components, ophthalmic diagnoses, and hours of volunteer service rendered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients came from a variety of countries and educational and racial backgrounds. The most common reason for referral to URWEC was diabetic screening eye exams (66/145, 46%). Student volunteers performed the following examination components in 79%-100% of visits under direct supervision of an attending ophthalmologist: visual acuity, pupils, extraocular movements, confrontation visual fields, intraocular pressure, drop administration, slit-lamp examination, and dilated fundoscopic exam. The most common diagnosis other than refractive error was cataract (29/145, 20%). Almost half of patients (66/145, 46%) were diagnosed with potentially vision-threatening conditions. Six hundred and thirty hours of community service were rendered by students and attending ophthalmologists during the 5-year period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Student-run eye clinics provide a longitudinal setting where students can receive one-on-one training with attending ophthalmologists, attain a broad clinical exposure, and provide a needed service in their communities.
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: MacLean
authors.affiliation: The Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA ; Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Holly B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Hindman
keywords: medical student education; ophthalmology education; student-run clinic; student-run eye clinic; volunteer eye clinic