Sask. optometrist’s remote clinics helping bring eye care to First Nations communities – CTV News
May 25, 2022
A Saskatchewan optometrist is helping improve accessibility to optical care in rural areas by offering remote clinics.
Dr. Shannon Gatrell travels around the province visiting rural First Nations communities to perform eye exams in schools.
“In any rural community, sometimes it’s just hard to get into the city and get this stuff done so anything we can do to get this stuff done and improve access in schools is good,” said Gatrell.
Dr. Gatrell is excited to be back doing remote clinics after the COVID-19 pandemic halted them for the past two years. She said more accessibility is needed in rural communities.
“When I first started coming out, it was probably close to half of the kids that had never had their eyes checked, so there’s definitely a need,” she said.
