WVU Eye Institute outreach initiative provides residents with opportunity to deliver critical vision evaluation services to WVSDB students

An outreach initiative at the West Virginia University Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is providing a unique training opportunity for ophthalmology residents, as they travel to the state’s lone specialized school for blind and deaf children to deliver critical vision evaluation services.

Twice a year, a team from the Eye Institute travels to the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (WVSDB) in Romney, West Virginia, to host an all-day eye clinic for students at the school. The team is led by Pediatric Ophthalmologists Geoff Bradford, M.D., and Ryan McGuire, M.D., and typically includes an orthoptist, an ophthalmic technician, and the resident who is rotating in pediatric ophthalmology at the time of the trip.

Third-year ophthalmology resident Bobby Finley, M.D., accompanied the team on their recent trip in October 2025, which he described as a great opportunity for him to broaden his ophthalmic evaluation skills while also making a positive impact.

“The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind enroll many students from across the entire state who have highly specialized low vision needs, often stemming from complex ocular diseases that require regular eye exams and follow-up care,” Dr. Finley explained. “This provides a great learning opportunity to us as residents, exposing us to an abundance of rare ocular cases, while more importantly, allowing us to provide these students with the high-quality eye care services they need from the comfort and convenience of their classrooms.”

Finley explained that the clinics provide all students enrolled at the WVSDB with full, in-depth eye exams to identify any pathological changes in their eyes and to determine if their eye disease is stable or requires additional medical care. If it is determined that the students require follow-up care at the Eye Institute or need an updated glasses prescription, the team will work with school administration to provide transportation to Morgantown or deliver new corrective lenses to the students.

Finley said he was grateful to be selected to accompany Drs. Bradford and McGuire to Romney in October, which provided him with his first opportunity to practice outside of the usual hospital environment.

“It was a really great experience to travel to the school and practice ophthalmology in an environment that is specifically designed to cater to the needs of students with blindness or visual impairment. I was able to learn a lot about the issues these students face on a daily basis, and how we as ophthalmologists can work with them to help them reach their visual potential.”

He added that the traveling clinic also teaches residents how to work with fewer resources, helping them improve their troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, while showing them how much they can still accomplish, despite not having all the resources available at the Eye Institute.

While the main focus of this initiative is to provide eye examinations for the blind and low vision students enrolled at the school, the team also provides evaluations to the deaf and low hearing students to ensure they are maintaining proper eye health.

In addition to the medical vision evaluations provided through these clinics, the WVU Eye Institute also provides functional vision assessments for blind and visually impaired students from across the state through the Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program, led by Rebecca Coakley, MA, CLVT. These assessments are performed by low vision specialists and are designed to determine how an individual’s reduced vision affects their daily life.

The WVSDB is a tuition-free, state-supported school for K-12 students in West Virginia with low vision or low hearing needs. The school has been open for more than 150 years, having originally opened in September of 1870.

“It is very gratifying to have had the opportunity to participate in this initiative and provide this crucial support to these students,” Finley said. “It was truly inspiring to meet all of these kids, learn about their journeys and hear about all the things they accomplish despite their limited vision. As I look ahead to my final year of residency training, I hope that I can continue to take advantage of any opportunity I have to support the state’s blind and visually impaired youth.”

To learn more about the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Residency Program, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/eye/residents.

To learn more about outreach initiatives in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/eye/outreach.