Optometry clinic looks out for Airmen’s eyes

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Wilson
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Treating and examining approximately 3,800 eyes a year is the task assigned to two members of Incirlik Air Base.

Maj. Cang Bui, 39th Medical Operations Squadron, Optometry Flight commander, and Tech. Sgt. Janelle Mankie, 39 MDOS Optometry Clinic noncommissioned officer in charge, run the Incirlik Air Base optometry clinic and ensure proper eye care for Team Incirlik members.

Services provided at the clinic include comprehensive eye exams, refractive surgery evaluations, eye disease tests, emergency calls, family practice referrals and child eye screenings.

While Incirlik does not currently have an optometry shop where customers may purchase frames, its Optometry Clinic does have a program in place to redress the balance.

"Right now the clinic helps base members pick out frames online that will fit their face," Major Bui said. "We are working on a new program to order approximately 200 new frames so patients can try them on here, and then we can order them online with their prescription."

Though most visits are commonplace, some rare cases enter the optometry clinic.

"I had a patient come in for a routine eye exam who had full-blown glaucoma," said Major Bui. "He thought it was just his prescription, but all he could see was a 'tunnel vision.'"

Glaucoma and a wide variety of other diseases are detected using specialized equipment.

"The Heidelberg Retina Tomography II is able to calculate and quantify the amount of retinal nerve tissue related to glaucoma," said Major Bui.

Other tools used in the clinic include a camera that captures images of the eye to detect progression of diseases and equipment that maps the surface of the eye for indications of corneal disease.

New technology arrives at the optometry clinic on a regular basis.

"In the past year we've collected approximately $240,000 worth of new equipment," Major Bui said. "Soon we're going to get a photo screening camera that can take pictures of a child's eye to determine the proper prescription."

According to the American Optometric Association, vision changes can occur without notice. Therefore, a child should receive an eye examination at least once every two years, if not more frequently.

"Children should get a comprehensive eye exam - not just an eye screening before the age of six," said Major Bui. "This allows us to rule out problems that can't be fixed later on."

Helping people fix their eyesight is the biggest incentive for Sergeant Mankie to work in the optometry career field.

"The most interesting part of optometry is that I help people see," said Sergeant Mankie. "I have come to realize how precious eyesight truly is."