ReSpectacle Volunteers Clean and Organize Donations

Elaine Downie, MD, second-year ophthalmology resident, is the founder and current director of the UW-Madison chapter of ReSpectacle, an organization that processes donated glasses into an online database and then distributes them to those in need at no cost.

Every two to three months, Dr. Downie works with medical students from the UW SMPH Ophthalmology Interest Group, as well as DOVS faculty, resident and staff volunteers, to process glasses that have been donated to the chapter. Volunteers, clean the spectacles, read the prescriptions, photograph them and then upload the information into the ReSpectacle online database. The group recently met at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison.

For more information, please visit: http://respectacle.org/about