Daniel Creech, 40, a patient at United Ability, knew his vision had changed. After years of encouragement, he was convinced to get glasses.

Creech speaks with a tablet and drives his wheelchair with his eyes, so he was afraid to get glasses, thinking that they would hinder his ability to speak, his mobility or his ability to have meaningful engagement with friends.

In addition to glasses, he needs lenses for presbyopia, age-related farsightedness. Janene Sims, O.D., Ph.D., director of Community Eye Care at UAB Eye Care and associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, worked with his special needs to ensure that he was prescribed glasses to meet his needs.

Creech is one of many patients who have benefited from UAB Eye Care’s partnership with United Ability, which conducts regular eye exams for children and adults at their on-site clinics.