UAB employees now are eligible to receive a discount at UAB Eye Care.

All you have to do is show your UAB employee ID badge at the time of your visit and you can receive up to $25 off your out-of-pocket costs for a comprehensive eye examination. For example, if you have Viva Health coverage, that means your $25 co-pay is waived.

“Employees can receive this discount one time a year and can use it any time during the year,” says UAB Eye Care Practice Manager Richard Stroud.

So what does UAB Eye Care have to offer you and your family? Comprehensive general eye exams and world-class care, including the latest advances in eye and vision treatment, along with quality contacts and eyeglasses at reasonable prices. And, special care for little eyes.

AB Eye Care is renowned for its work with children, conducting National Institutes of Health-funded research on nearsightedness and slowing the progression of nearsightedness in children. Affiliated researchers also are studying lazy eye and convergence insufficiency — a condition that causes children to have intermittent blur, double vision or eye straining while they read. The clinic also has vision therapy programs to help children battling such ailments, a benefit not offered by most Birmingham-area clinics.

“We see a lot of children with eye turn and reduced vision in the eye, or lazy eye,” says Michelle Anderson, O.D. “We do eye exams and find kids have perfectly healthy eyes, and we find some kids that need glasses for near- or farsightedness. And we have vision therapy training for those children who are in need, which is a great advantage.”

UAB Eye Care also is the only facility in the state that teaches optometrists how to do infant eye exams. (At UAB, ophthalmologists in the School of Medicine also are trained to examine infant eyes.) UAB Eye Care specialists offer examinations and fittings if you are interested in correcting your eyesight with contact lenses. Bifocal and cosmetic lenses plus postoperative fittings are available. Specialists also can discuss all options for laser and refractive surgery and provide pre- and post-surgical care with consulting ophthalmology experts.

An extensive eyewear boutique also offers the latest fashions and name brands made with the highest-grade material and sold at reasonable prices. Glasses are available to fit every age, need and style — from fashion eyewear to glasses for sports, safety and sun protection.

“I think that when people come in the clinic and see what’s here and what we have to offer, they will leave impressed,” Stroud says.

UAB Eye Care is located on University Boulevard between 17th and 18th streets. To schedule an appointment between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, call 975-2020. Visit www.uab.edu/eyecare today for further information about the clinics. UAB Eye Care is a participating provider with Medicare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, VIVA, Medicaid, VSP, Spectera, VCP and other insurance plans.