College of Optometry receives Allergan Foundation grant

Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Optometry is using a $10,000 grant from the Allergan Foundation to provide care to patients with limited incomes or access to insurance.

The Allergan Foundation has awarded three grants to WesternU’s Eye Care Institute. The latest one allows the Eye Care Institute to perform specialized testing needed for diagnostic purposes, and provide limited funding for treatment of some eye conditions.

“We are grateful to the Allergan Foundation for providing us with the financial resources to provide care to those who have a visual impairment, to significantly improve their quality of life,” said College of Optometry Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs Robert Gordon, OD, FAAO.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, the U.S. had more than 32 million non-elderly people without health insurance in 2014, a reduction of more than nine million from 2013 thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Foundation grants are important in assisting health care providers in meeting the health care needs of those with limited incomes, Gordon said.

The College of Optometry has also received grant funding from the United Way, the Essilor Vision Foundation, the Pomona Lions Club and others.

“We are always looking for additional sources of funding to help those patients we see who have no access to health care,” Gordon said.