Now Qualified Un-Insured Patients in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area can Receive Free Glaucoma Evaluation and Treatment Medications if Necessary.

glaucoma clinic st louis mo
Anyone can develop glaucoma – the Silent Thief of Sight
Are you certain that you don’t have glaucoma?

Here at a glance are the populations that are at the highest risk of having this potentially blinding eye condition:

  1. African Americans
  2. Females
  3. Over age 55
  4. Family members having glaucoma
  5. Older Asian and Hispanic populations
  6. High amounts of nearsightedness

Don’t let lack of medical insurance keep you from finding out if you are a potential glaucoma risk. FREE GLAUCOMA CLINIC, a registered 501c(3) charitable organization, was established to take care of you. Come in for a free screening and if glaucoma is found to be present, as long as you remain uninsured you will be properly cared for.

Glaucoma Facts at a Glance

3 million people glaucoma
3 Million have Glaucoma – Only Half Know
visually impaired african americans
African Americans are 15 times more likely to be Visually Impaired from Glaucoma than Caucasians
blindness from glaucoma
Blindness from Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more Common in African Americans than Caucasians
glaucoma 60 million cases
60 Million Glaucoma Cases Suspected Worldwide
glaucoma awareness

AWARENESS

glaucoma prevention

PREVENTION

glaucoma treatment

TREATMENT

OUR STORY
Dr. Dan Seibert - Primary Clinician
Dr. Dan Seibert - Primary Clinician

My name is Dr. Daniel Seibert and as the founder and primary clinician of Free Glaucoma Clinic, I have been an optometrist practicing in the St. Louis area for 40 years.

My dream of a Free Glaucoma Clinic began many years ago when I was responding to a request from the Missouri agency that grants Blind Pensions to qualified residents.

This patient was homebound because of severe physical disabilities and I arrived at his ramshackled home, climbed the dark staircase and was directed to Uncle R in a small, back bedroom. It didn’t take long for me to discover that he was terminally blind from a history of long-standing undetected glaucoma.

His life was one of isolation and darkness with his only connection to the outside world his ability to listen to a local informational radio station. To qualify for a blind pension he required a current eye doctor confirmation of his visual status and I was able to submit that paperwork for him.

This was an incident that has been repeated numerous times over my career and in almost every case these patients were ones who didn’t have access to routine vision care for various reasons, in many cases lack of insurance to cover such care. Some of the many glaucoma patients I see have a similar story of failure to detect glaucoma early enough in the course of the disease to preserve vision effectively.

Once we have detected the presence of the disease, we administer treatment and provide for the potential of preserving the eyesight that remains. Unfortunately in these times in which we live, a common occurrence may be the loss of insurance coverage for eyecare services and medications, in which case the patient is lost to follow-up, knowing there is no way they can afford the continual care. For me, this reality is frustrating and quite tragic. I don’t have all the answers of how to get everyone insured, but in the meantime the need to preserve eyesight cries out.

Dr. Alex Harris - Associate Clinician
Dr. Alex Harris - Associate Clinician
GLAUCOMA – WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Why my focus on this one particular eye disease? What is so potentially dangerous about the individual eye condition glaucoma?

Glaucoma is so dangerous because it is essentially symptom-free in its early and even fairly advanced stages. Early on the patient experiences no blurred vision, no eye pain, redness, or discomfort of any kind. For this reason, so many glaucoma victims conclude that their eyes seem to be fine. When they get into their fourth decade of life they pick up some reading glasses which work just fine for the only vision problem they conclude they have – loss of near focus. Why should they seek eye care? They see fine, their eyes never bother them and so it just makes sense to stay away from the doctors unless they have a problem. Of course this conclusion is even more evident when the glaucoma victim has no insurance and therefore no way to seek routine care even if the need was perceived.

So what we have is a massive, serious 2-pronged dilemma – the existence of this blinding eye disease that most people would have no idea they have developed, coupled with groups of our population that are chronically uninsured and therefore virtually incapable of ever finding out they are losing their vision. These individuals WILL GO BLIND unless the diagnosis is somehow made and treatment administered.

That is my mission, my dream. To establish a Free Glaucoma Clinic that would be funded by grants and donations and would staff and equip a clinical facility to enable un-insured glaucoma victims to obtain diagnostic services, complimentary eyedrops and when necessary, surgical treatments, along with thorough follow-up care.

glaucoma damage info

As far as I have been able to ascertain this is truly a trailblazing concept. My objective of establishing a free glaucoma clinic to serve the chronically uninsured as I have described it has never been attempted as far as I know. There are charity eye clinics that care for indigent patients very effectively all over the country, but a facility devoted exclusively to the challenge of providing care for uninsured victims of this Silent Thief of Sight seems to be unique. This means it will take some time to build the service and a LOT of education is going to have to get out into the public eye to assure the need will truly be met. But no new idea that is a good one ever succeeds without patience and persistence and I am convinced that the ultimate result, the preservation of the eyesight of many, many people destined to blindness otherwise, makes it well worth the effort.

Other sight-threatening eye diseases may be uncovered and appropriate referral for the care of these patients will be made, but Free Glaucoma Clinic, Inc. is going to focus on the “silent thief of sight”, glaucoma. I consider this work to be my mission, a calling I anticipate will be very challenging to carry out, but potentially quite productive in meeting that purpose.

Not all of Us can do Great Things,
But we can do Small Things with Great Love.
• Mother Teresa

free glaucoma clinic
OUR MISSION

Eyesight is the precious gift of God and must be protected and preserved for all, regardless of awareness or ability to obtain professional eye care.

Free Glaucoma Clinic is specifically devoted to the detection and appropriate treatment of the dangerous, blinding Silent Thief of Sight, glaucoma. It is their mission to faithfully serve God by striving to reach out to their neighbors in the St. Louis metropolitan area with educational, diagnostic and treatment services aimed at discovering glaucoma patients and seeing that appropriate professional care is supplied, even in cases where medical insurance is not available.

Our Motto……….Glaucoma with No Insurance to Cover Eye Care?……..No Problem!

Glaucoma is a serious, blinding eye disease that is particularly dangerous because in its early stages it produces no symptoms. Patients having glaucoma and not seeking routine eye examinations because of the lack of blurred vision or eye discomfort will gradually lose vision. Unless treated the point is reached where peripheral vision impairment becomes noticeable, eye care is sought and by then it may be too late to preserve remaining vision.

Populations of patients that aren’t able to seek routine eyecare because of lack of insurance will be particularly vulnerable. Free Glaucoma Clinic Inc. is a 501 c(3) non-for-profit specialty optometric practice that provides screening, comprehensive examination, treatment and follow-up care for glaucoma patients. All examinations and prescription medications are provided at no cost to qualified uninsured patients.

That is the mission and dream. To establish a Free Glaucoma Clinic that would be funded by grants and donations and would staff and equip a clinical facility that would enable un-insured glaucoma victims to obtain diagnostic services, complimentary eye drops and thorough follow-up care.

The location of a Free Glaucoma Clinic would need to be near where the uninsured patients with frequent transportation limitations live. Census data reveal the areas in the metropolitan area where the highest percentages of uninsured citizens live. Statistics also clearly reveal that African Americans have a significantly higher incidence of glaucoma. These realities will strongly dictate where such a facility should be located – accessible to the areas in North St. Louis city and county. For this reason the location where uninsured glaucoma patients will be served is in the northwest suburb of Overland. This location is on accessible bus routes.

Useful Information

5 common glaucoma tests

Glaucoma Facts

Great information about Glaucoma that was created by the National Eye Institute to help families and patients.
glaucoma risk

Understanding Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease that increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve.
detecting glaucoma

Detecting Glaucoma

This animation shows the early signs of glaucoma can be detected through a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

CONTACT INFO

Free Glaucoma Clinic

2040 Woodson Road, Suite 100
Overland, MO. 63114

314-972-2845

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