Sravya Jayam is a third-year medical student at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is pursuing medicine with the hope of improving the health and well-being of her future patients. Outside of her medical studies, she enjoys visiting national parks and playing tennis. Recently, she helped launch MSU’s chapter of ReSpectacle, a national non-profit organization that aims to distribute glasses to those who lack the financial means or access to purchase them elsewhere.
Seven-year old Sravya would be proud, I thought, as I contentedly watched our volunteers log in several hundred pairs of donated eyeglasses. While my peers thoroughly cleaned the glasses that would eventually be offered to those in need, I stood in Fee Hall, lost in memory of a time in first-grade when I learned I had failed my vision screening.
My heart sank. I didn’t fully understand what it meant, but I knew I performed poorly on a test, which, to my young mind, naturally meant that I was a terrible student. Fighting back tears, I handed the sheet of paper–my “failure”–to my mom. She just shook her head in disbelief.
“How’s this possible?” she said. “Your dad and I have perfect vision.”
I quickly forgot about my shortcomings, however, as I had more important things to worry about, such as turning on the TV to watch the new Scooby-Doo movie on time. Velma, a short-haired brainiac in glasses–my favorite character–would solve yet another exhilarating mystery.
But my blissful ignorance was short-lived. The following week, a strange man in a white coat had me read rows of letters and numbers in a dark room and handed me my first pair of glasses–glasses I would wear for the rest of my life.
My eyes welled up in tears as I stared at the now unfamiliar face in the mirror. It didn’t matter that I could now read the menu at my favorite restaurant with ease, make out street names as I walked home from school, or sit anywhere in the classroom and read the whiteboard perfectly. The glasses made me look ugly, and I hated them. Besides, what would my friends say?
As I helped photograph and log each pair of donated glasses on our website—capturing details like frame color and condition—I smiled at the memory of how my mom eventually convinced seven-year-old me to wear my glasses.
“Don’t be silly!” she said. “Isn’t Velma beautiful, intelligent, and a reliable friend, with or without her glasses?”
With that tiny revelation, I began wearing my glasses more confidently to school. And as my vision worsened over the years, my appreciation for them only grew. In first grade, my fears were focused on how wearing glasses made me different. Over time, however, I came to realize just how vital those lenses were. To be able to regard the world in all its entirety–from its heartbreaking realities to its breathtaking sceneries–I absolutely needed them. The sights in front of me were too invaluable to compromise on.
Now, as a third year medical student, I aim to provide others the same opportunity I’ve been fortunate to have– the ability to perceive the world a little better with the aid of eyeglasses. Josh Sherman, Rida Khan, and Akhil Munagala–my fellow medical students and leaders of MSU’s chapter of ReSpectacle–were instrumental in the success of this organization. Together, as a team, we collaborated with various faculty from MSU’s College of Human Medicine and MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine to launch an initiative we hope will become a lasting legacy for medical students.
ReSpectacle is a national non-profit organization that distributes glasses to people who lack the financial means or accessibility to purchase them elsewhere. Donations from chapters across the country, including ours at MSU, are sent to ReSpectacle’s headquarters in Wisconsin, where they are measured using a lensometer and listed on the website at affordable prices.
MSU’s chapter will place a donation box at the entrance of Fee Hall, 939 Fee Road, East Lansing, MI, and we invite students, faculty, and alumni to contribute any used eyeglasses they may have. Eyesight is truly valuable and can be enhanced with a simple lens that makes a world of a difference. Especially to a first-grader who wants to watch her favorite TV show after school. Help us make eyeglasses more accessible for everyone!