What is the Student Ophthalmology Medical Association (SOMA)?

The free Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured (SCU) is a primary care clinic run by MCW students that offers free medical care and education to uninsured individuals of Milwaukee. Under the supervision of ophthalmologists at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute, medical students in the Student Ophthalmology Medical Association (SOMA) provide monthly comprehensive eye exams to uninsured patients at the SCU.

ReSpectacle is a nonprofit organization that collects used glasses and sends them to underserved communities all over the world, with the help of medical student volunteers. By volunteering through SOMA, students have the opportunity to photograph, catalogue, and organize glasses that will soon become available to individuals in need worldwide. Volunteers can engage with other medical students interested in ophthalmology, giving them insights about the specialty. ReSpectacle is also a resource that our student doctor volunteers make available to uninsured individuals that we see at the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured.

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is a non-profit organization with a mission to help Wisconsin residents have healthy vision at all stages in their lives. They do so through certified volunteer opportunities to perform vision screenings in various communities throughout all of Wisconsin.