National Optometry Centre Launch Eyecare Partnership with Capuchin Day Centre
The National Optometry Centre is proud to announce a new partnership with the Capuchin Day Centre to deliver vital eye care services to some of the most marginalised members of the Dublin community.
Students from TU Dublin’s Optometry programme (TU871) will deliver eye exams and spectacles through a year-long pilot outreach clinic hosted at the Capuchin Day Centre. The pilot project was initiated with the support of Head of School, Dr Siobhán Daly.
The initiative, which builds on more than a decade of voluntary service by alumnus and optician Jason McInerney, who provided eye care support to the Centre’s guests. Now, TU Dublin, with support from philanthropy partners Ocuco and Topcon Healthcare, aims to continue and expand that legacy through a structured clinic rotation.
Brian Friel, CEO of the Capuchin Day Centre, welcomed the initiative, saying:
“This programme gives our guests access to a level of support that they otherwise might not have been able to avail of. We work with very marginalised people who don’t have access to services, and this programme means that some illnesses and impairments can be addressed at an early stage before they have too much impact. We’re delighted to be engaged in this partnership with TU Dublin.”
Declan Hovenden, Head of Optometry at the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences, added:
“We’re delighted to be involved in this project. There are huge benefits for everyone involved. We’re honoured to be asked and involved as the Capuchin Day Centre is in our neighbourhood, so it’s a great community initiative and an inclusive health initiative - which is something we teach our students about. It’s brilliant to see it in action.”
This collaboration creates a learning environment where TU Dublin optometry students can apply knowledge of their discipline and of the SDGs in a real-life setting. It directly addresses SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, Target 3.8, by enabling access to eye care services for vulnerable groups and is supported through TU Dublin’s Sustainability Action Lab programme.
Special thanks to Orla Murphy, the outreach clinic's Supervising Optometrist, and Vinicius Russo, School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences Technician for their efforts to make sure the project got smoothly off the ground.
The pilot project was supported by Dr Siobhán Daly, Head of School Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences and Declan Hovenden, Head of Discipline, Optometry.
