When the world a person sees is constantly blurry, but they lack the means to afford vision correction, future dreams may seem unattainable. For some, their hopes may be the opportunity to see their daughter’s face in vivid detail for the first time. For others, they may imagine a life at school where they can finally see the white board clearly or an incoming ball on the field during the final seconds of their team’s tied soccer game.
But with a little help, barriers to dreams can often be broken through the gift of clear vision.
For nearly twenty years, CooperVision’s Give Brightly™ program, formerly Adopt-A-Patient®, has provided complimentary contact lenses to help patients who may otherwise not have access to contact lenses as a vision correction option. A partnership between CooperVision and U.S. optometry schools, Give Brightly™ promotes a positive contact lens fitting experience for optometry students and residents associated with schools and colleges of optometry. Through the program, a student or resident may select one patient while in clinic to fit with complimentary CooperVision soft, scleral, hybrid, and ortho-k contact lenses. Since the program’s inception, Give Brightly™ has helped thousands of patients including approximately 700 individuals this year alone.
Here, current optometry school students share their Give Brightly™ stories and impressions of the program that they say has not only helped change their patients’ lives but also positively influenced their own.
A Chance to See Well for the First Time Since Childhood
By Braeden Rake, third-year optometry student, Western University of Health Sciences
I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremiah Thomas when he was referred to Western University's Eye Care Institute for a contact lens fitting for keratoconus. Jeremiah is my first patient with the condition, and it has been an amazing experience to fit him in CooperVision’s Onefit™ Med+ scleral lenses under the guidance of both Dr. Nolan Ng and Dr. Kim Duong.
Jeremiah came in with one goal and that was to see the driving line to get a driver’s license. This was a heavy goal since entering acuities were less than 20/600 OD and 20/300 OS, Kmax values of 97.00D OD and 69.00D OS, and thinnest pachymetry of 294 um OD and 400 um OS. He has struggled with keratoconus since middle school and never had the opportunity to get adequate correction until now. After putting on the first OneFit™ Med+ trial lens and a quick over-refraction, we were able to get Jeremiah to see 20/40 OD and 20/25+ OS. This was very exciting for him and for me.
We evaluated the lenses under slit lamp and anterior segment OCT and then ordered his first set of custom trial lenses with the hopes of dispensing them at the next visit. In November, Jeremiah came in for the fit assessment of the ordered lenses. After I inserted the lenses, he looked up, silent and in awe, until finally saying “This is amazing. I'm going to be able to see my daughter’s face for the first time.” Jeremiah could see well for the first time since childhood.
The fit was good, well centered, and with good comfort and vision. After insertion and removal training, we let Jeremiah leave with the lenses so he could finally achieve the goals that he had shared with me.
CooperVision’s Give Brightly™ program has given me the opportunity to fit a patient with lenses that they would have not been able to afford otherwise, which I am grateful for. But more importantly, it gave Jeremiah Thomas his vision back. He is a kind, respectful young father whose life will be changed with these lenses. That is what I am most thankful for about this program. So, thank you, CooperVision, for this incredible opportunity and learning experience.
A Confidence Boost with MiSight® 1 day
By Amy Lanzendorf, Derek Bryant and Calvin Chandler, fourth-year students, Northeastern State University Oklahoma, College of Optometry
MiSight® 1 day* contact lenses fitted through the Give Brightly™ program really helped our 11-year-old patient, boosting his confidence and teamwork skills for football 1 and embracing new challenges. He became more resilient and enjoyed trying new things, which made a big difference in his sports and overall happiness. It’s great to see him thriving in the classroom, on the field and in the water! Thanks for all you do for us and our patients!
Classwork and Creativity Blossom with Give Brightly™
By Humna Sandhu, third-year student, Western University of Health Sciences
I am honored to share my experience fitting a 17-year-old female patient into daily disposable contact lenses through the Give Brightly™ Program. During the exam, she shared her love for photography and learning about politics. She is in her final year of high school and is excited to jump into the next adventure in her journey: College. She felt that glasses alone limited her ability to focus in class and participate in outdoor activities. After successfully fitting her into MyDay® toric lenses, she was able to appreciate small details in her vision that she had not experienced before.2 Her focus in class and creativity behind the camera thrived. Thanks to the Give Brightly™ Program, she can look forward to her bright future with a clear (contact) lens. It was a privilege to be a part of the optometric team that supported this patient's vision goals alongside Dr. Renee Doss at the Western University Eye Care Institute.
Gaining Clarity, Achieving Goals with Renewed Sight
By Karis Cheek, Jayton Salmans, Lorrin Hooten, fourth-year students, Northeastern State University Oklahoma, College of Optometry
Our patient has been yearning to be re-fit into contact lenses to gain better clarity with her vision. She was recently diagnosed with keratoconus and is still able to achieve her goals wearing a CooperVision Biofinity® toric lens in her left eye. The gift of sight was re-bestowed upon her when we fit her into your lens, and her quality of life was instantly improved.
A Former Give Brightly™ Recipient Pays It Forward
By Helen Zhong, third-year student, Southern College of Optometry
I began wearing glasses when I was 9 years old. Throughout my early teenage years, my vision was fine, but I wasn’t thrilled about the appearance of glasses. Picture this: me, a high schooler in the marching band with sweaty glasses, struggling to read sheet music while playing my mellophone and navigating the field. During this time, I heard about contact lenses from friends, but my parents had no experience with them. They mentioned we couldn’t afford them, and they were worried about the risk of infections. Being the determined young myope that I was, I decided to make myself a contact lens appointment at The Eye Center in Memphis, TN.
Suddenly, I felt more comfortable with my appearance. The lenses felt so comfortable that I didn’t even notice I was wearing them. I was granted a yearly supply of clariti® 1 day daily disposable contact lenses. These lenses impacted other aspects of my life positively. Now, as a third-year optometry student at the Southern College of Optometry, I’ll be able to provide the same opportunity that impacted me to my own patients very soon.
Changing the Course of a Young Athlete’s Life Through Clear Vision
By Kristine Karimian, third-year student, Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry
I am pleased to share a heartening story about a 16-year-old male patient who recently visited our clinic for a routine eye exam. This young athlete had been without his glasses for three months due to the financial burden of replacing his lost pair. During our intake, we discovered that he had been playing high school soccer either with his outdated prescription glasses or without any visual correction at all. After fitting him with Biofinity® toric lenses, the transformation was remarkable. He experienced a significant improvement in his peripheral vision, a reduction in visual distortion, and an overall boost in his performance on the field. Witnessing his joy and relief as he regained clarity and confidence in his game was truly rewarding. It is the Give Brightly™ program that we have to thank for allowing him to have access to such an impactful and beneficial tool in his young life. It has been a privilege to support this young patient in experiencing the joy of enhanced vision, alongside Dr. John Tassinari, at the Western University Eye Care Institute.
Discover more about the Give Brightly™ Program and CooperVision’s other student programs, in addition to educational resources at CooperVision’s Online Success Center.
