Bringing Specialty Care to an Underserved Region
For most of us, a two-hour drive to visit the doctor is not the norm. But for parents of some kids with eye problems, it’s actually a convenience. Going to the Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic in Bend, Ore., is far easier for patients from towns like Christmas Valley, in the southern part of the state, than driving nearly five hours to the clinic in Portland.
While most of Oregon’s population lives in Portland and the Willamette Valley, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has long had a mission to serve the entire state. With the support of the Oregon State Elks Association, OHSU Casey Eye Institute is fulfilling that mission by expanding the Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic to provide pediatric eye care in Bend.
John Davis, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at OHSU School of Medicine, is the only pediatric ophthalmologist serving central and eastern Oregon. For the families in this region, Dr. Davis's presence means access to specialized care closer to home. Having an Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic in Bend means fewer long trips to Portland for families who live in other parts of the state. Fewer trips mean less stress and potential financial burden on families. Children whose conditions require eye patches, glasses or medication are much more likely to receive consistent care and demonstrate improved vision when the clinic is close to home.
The Unique Challenges of Caring for Kids
Treating children's eyes presents unique challenges that differ from adult care. Dr. Davis explains, "Children's physiology is simply different from adults’. It also changes rapidly, because kids’ eyes and brains develop so quickly."
Dr. Davis developed his passion for eye care early in his career. “On my ophthalmology rotation at UCLA, I remember leaving at 9:30 pm after a busy day, still energized and loving it,” he says. “I thought, 'This is what I want to do!'"
He finds children’s eye care especially rewarding because treatment has such a long-term impact. For example, in the condition amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” decreased vision can limit the brain’s ability to see later in life if it is not corrected in childhood. "In pediatric ophthalmology, we are curing preventable blindness and giving kids vision for their entire lives," he says.
Providing Life-Changing Services
In addition to diagnosis, vision care, and surgery for children, Dr. Davis operates on adults with strabismus, a condition in which both eyes don’t turn in the same direction. This can cause double vision, problems with depth perception, and sometimes peripheral vision problems. Glasses that correct these problems can be heavy, and misaligned eyes are one cause of adult disability.
Surgery can make a huge difference in the life of an adult with eye misalignment, and because pediatric ophthalmologists are skilled at correcting strabismus, they often perform these operations for adults, too. Having access to a specialist fills another critical gap for patients in central and eastern Oregon.
Building a Practice from the Ground Up
When Dr. Davis arrived in 2021, there was no established pediatric ophthalmology practice in Bend. Before he came, one eye doctor did examine children and provide glasses, but patients had to travel to the Portland area for surgery. "It's rather unique to be hired to build a practice that didn't exist before," Dr. Davis says. "No surgeries were being performed in Bend before I was here. We had to train people how to assist in this specialty."
Establishing a practice from scratch has required significant investment from Casey’s Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic in time, effort, and resources. But for Dr. Davis and Casey, it's an investment in the future health of children across the region.
"Having a pediatric ophthalmologist in Central Oregon is transformative for the region. Dr. Davis isn't just providing eye care. He’s changing the trajectory of these children's lives by ensuring they have the vision they need to learn and thrive,” says Leah Reznick, M.D., Director of the Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic.
Looking to the Future
As word spreads about Dr. Davis's practice, he is seeing more and more patients from around Oregon and even neighboring areas of rural Idaho. He's also embracing telemedicine for follow-up visits when possible.
"We're setting up a camera system in Bend, similar to what OHSU has in Salem and Hillsboro," he explains. "This telemedicine program will allow us to monitor and treat conditions like retinopathy of prematurity” for which he is now the only doctor at Bend’s hospital – “even when I can't be there in person."
He is also planning outreach visits to more remote areas. "We're looking at setting up regular clinics in places like Burns and Klamath Falls," Dr. Davis says. "It's all part of our mission to bring top-quality eye care to every child in the region, no matter where they live."
OHSU Casey Eye Institute director Andreas K. Lauer, M.D., says "Philanthropic support, especially from the Oregon State Elks Association, has had a critical impact on our ability to open a clinic in Bend and provide more high-quality eye care to children and adults in Oregon. We are very grateful to our wonderful donors who have made this expansion a reality."
Dr. John Davis may be just one doctor, but his impact on the region is immeasurable. Through his dedication, skill, and child-friendly approach, he's bringing hope and clearer vision to countless young patients across central and eastern Oregon.