Our Story
ViSION was established in 2012 in response to a significant gap in access to ophthalmological care within the Baltimore community. The initiative began when Dr. Tom Johnson and other students volunteered at the Charm City Clinic, a free clinic started by medical students and community leaders. After surveying East Baltimore residents, they identified an overwhelming need for eyecare services. Dr. Johnson began working with his mentor, Dr. Harry Quigley, the A. Edward Maumenee Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, to create the organization that is now known as ViSION (Vision Screenings in Our Neighborhoods). Since its inception, we have expanded our reach to all regions of Baltimore in need of our services, and we are always looking for new community partnerships. To contact us or learn more about the services we offer, check out the For Our Partners page.
Our Mission
Our mission is to bridge the community-defined gap in access to ophthalmological care in Baltimore City and surrounding areas. We conduct vision screenings in underserved communities and coordinate follow-up care for those who need it. Our goal is to detect and address a wide range of conditions, from simple refractive errors to more serious diseases like glaucoma.
Our Commitment
We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone screened through our program receives follow-up clinical care with ophthalmology faculty at the Wilmer Eye Institute, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. This commitment to establishing longitudinal care is the cornerstone of ViSION.
Leadership and Volunteers
ViSION is primarily run by Johns Hopkins medical students, under the guidance of a dedicated faculty mentor and numerous faculty volunteers. Dr. Johnson, who has been involved since the organization’s inception, now serves as the faculty mentor. He trains medical students in all necessary techniques for conducting community-based vision screenings and supervises our efforts.
Services
Our vision screenings include:
- Snellen visual acuity measurement
- Intraocular pressure measurement by rebound tonometry
- Visual field testing
- Pupil examination
- Eye movement examination
- Panoptic direct ophthalmoscopy
- OCT of the macula and optic nerve
- Fundus photography
At our follow-up clinics, we repeat many of the tests done at the screening in the controlled environment of the glaucoma clinic at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Every patient is seen by a medical student, an optometrist, and an ophthalmologist.
Impact
Since our founding in 2012, ViSION has conducted over 70 vision screening events, screened over 1,700 Baltimore residents, and referred more than 450 individuals for free follow-up care at the Wilmer Eye Institute. We have partnered with 29 community service organizations, including Casa of Maryland, Esperanza Center, Project PLASE, and the St. Mary’s Outreach Center. ViSION is also a proud member of the Consortium of Student-Led Eye Clinics (CSLEC), collaborating with student-run eye clinics and screening programs nationwide.
We are also grateful that ViSION has been recognized through several awards by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Reverend Melvin B. Tuggle Community Excellence Award Program, and the JHU Student Outreach Center (SOURCE).
