Bradenton’s Eye Associates unveil new mobile testing bus

Ellenton’s Betty Downs heard that The Eye Associates’ new SightMobile bus was coming to Church of the Cross on 26th Street West on Thursday and she made sure to be there.

She wanted to be checked for glaucoma, an eye disease known for being “silent” as it affects peripheral vision.

She also wanted to know that her distance vision for driving was still in the safe range.

Basically, she wanted an “all clear” report.

“They told me everything was good and that makes me feel very good,” said Downs, one of hundreds who came to Church of the Cross for eye and other testing opportunities during the church’s Falls Prevention Expo as part of Falls Prevention Day.

Downs had her eyes checked by the SightMobile’s Vision Screening Team made up of leader Pam Insani and members Bob Holzapfel, Judy Sweet and Sandra Shadwill.

The SightMobile team only does distance vision and glaucoma screenings with no dilation required, Insani said.

“Exams take less than five minutes,” Insani added.

The team and its bus will next offer free eye exams to the public from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday during an expo at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

“We go all the way from Sun City to Venice,” Insani said.

The new 25-foot fully contained air-conditioned SightMobile debuted this month and Church on the Cross was its third event in the field, Insani said.

The new SightMobile bus is a replacement for a 35-foot bus that had been in operation before dying last fall.

“The 25-foot bus allows us the convenience of going into more areas that are more difficult to get in and it’s more conducive to the screenings and to the staff and we just love it,” Insani said.

“We’ve been offering these sight-saving screenings for close to 30 years,” said John Swencki, The Eye Associates’ chief executive officer. “But our original circa 1987 vehicle was begging to be retired. We now have a younger, more efficient model that’s been completely customized for our screenings.”

The Eye Associates Vision Screening Team is booking screenings for organizations interested in having the SightMobile visit their location. To do so, call Insani at 941-737-0861.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Bradenton’s Eye Associates unveil new mobile testing bus."