New Philly mobile van brings free eye disease screening directly to patients

Penn Medicine recently launched a new mobile van that goes into Philadelphia neighborhoods and screens people for eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and cataracts, all of which can cause blindness. Many of these eye conditions are linked to uncontrolled diabetes, It's really a mobile unit that's going directly into communities, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. bringing in the care, scheduling the follow-up care so that folks can get those basic services within their own, near their home. I checked out the new van when it stopped in West Philadelphia outside Chosen 300 Ministries, which is a faith-based nonprofit that serves people facing homelessness and food insecurity. Penn Medicine student technicians use high-tech machines to examine patients and take images of their eyes. Right over here in that little divot, that's actually where the nerve is leaking from his retina to the brain. The Shea Eye Institute in Motion officially launched in September 2026. Thank you. Future stops are planned all across Philly as mobile leaders hope to diagnose and treat eye diseases earlier, before they lead to permanent blindness.