Volunteer at Casey Eye Institute

Volunteers do a fun pose in front of the mobile clinic.

Join our outstanding group of volunteers to end preventable blindness

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with OHSU Casey Eye Institute! By becoming a volunteer with the Casey Community Outreach Program, you will contribute to our mission of ending preventable blindness in Oregon and make a difference providing necessary eye care to the people who need it most. 

Donor funded, the Casey Community Outreach Program is staffed by volunteer doctors, technicians, students and community members dedicated to eliminating preventable blindness in Oregon. Since its inaugural voyage in 2010, over 25,000 hours of service have been donated by the generous volunteers aboard the Casey mobile eye clinic. In partnership with local agencies, our 33-foot fully outfitted mobile ophthalmology unit provides free medical vision screenings at locations ranging from the state's most remote corners to Portland's urban core. 

We have many opportunities to volunteer throughout the year, and we welcome everyone whether you are new to eye care or have advanced medical training.  Outreach volunteers must be:

  1. 18 years or older
  2. Available to volunteer on Saturdays, and meet a 40 hour minimum commitment per year (approx.: 7 outreach clinics)
  3. Complete the OHSU Healthcare Volunteer onboarding process, including attending an online orientation  
  4. Comply with OHSU’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
  5. Be able to travel to community service sites

Volunteers are the engine that make this program run, and you can participate in a variety of ways. We need volunteers to set up and break down, staff the check-in desk, greet and escort participants, assist them with completing forms, performing vision screenings, operating an autorefractor and lensmeter, doing comprehensive eye screenings, assisting participants in selecting frames, and more.

To learn more about becoming a volunteer, please contact us at CaseyOutreach@ohsu.edu

Volunteers at the check in desk greeting participants.

Making a difference

Comments from mobile clinic participants

"Thank you so very much! I really need this cause I can't see my son play shortstop or pitch. Plus I am driving for baseball season. Now I'll be able to see the signs!"

"Thank you to the donors, partners and volunteers that make this event possible. During tumultuous times, worrying about your health due to financial restrictions makes things even harder. So, the effort, money and time you all are taking makes a huge difference in individual lives, including mine."

"I have astigmatism in both eyes and need a prescription every year to keep up with my vision, but have experienced homelessness for a significant amount of time and now live on disability recovering from PTSD...I would have had to continue with this 5 year old prescription for a while longer before I could afford to spring for an eye exam and new glasses. It's hard enough to work already! New glasses will be so helpful. Thank you so much for making this happen."

"Thank you so much. If it wasn't for this service I would not be able to see."