• Yvonne Okaka, Yasmin S Meah, Robert Fallar, and Nisha Chadha.
• Department of Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson, Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA; Department of Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1255, New York, NY 10029, USA. Electronic address: okakay@nychhc.org.
• J Natl Med Assoc. 2021 Aug 1; 113 (4): 431-435.

ImportanceStudent-run free clinics (SRFCs) primarily service the uninsured and are a unique way for medical students to gain hands-on exposure to ophthalmology. The free clinic model takes many different forms- some with episodic and longitudinal models-- and this is mirrored in corresponding eye services.ObjectiveTo describe SRFC ophthalmology services nationwide.DesignThis was a telephone survey study administered from June through July of 2018.SettingThis study surveyed medical school SRFC clinics across the United States.ParticipantsSurvey request was sent to 19 SRFCs previously identified as having ophthalmology services via internet search. Fourteen SRFCs (73%) participated; participants were either student clinic leaders or medical directors. One respondent no longer had a distinct eye clinic so was excluded from relevant results.Main Outcome And MeasureCharacteristics of ophthalmology SRFCs including participants, frequency of sessions, common diagnoses treated, and challenges encountered were assessed through this survey.ResultsOn average, each SRFC provided 5.15 hours per month of ophthalmology services. The mean number of medical students involved per session was 8.7. Lack of infrastructure to ensure adequate patient follow-up and faculty recruiting were cited as the main challenges in providing ophthalmology services. Most SRFC leaders indicated exposure to ophthalmology and practice with the exam as the main experiences that students sought and achieved. The most common conditions treated were refractive error (92.3%) and diabetic retinopathy (69.2%).ConclusionThere are a small number of SRFCs that have ophthalmology services, and they share common features in terms of participants, staffing, and, barriers to sustainability. Ophthalmology services at SRFCs offer a unique venue for medical students to gain exposure to an under-represented field in medical school curricula. The growth of this critical venue for medical student training could be enhanced by recruitment strategies aimed at ophthalmology faculty with a strong interest in service and teaching.Copyright © 2021 National Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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