Detroit Mercy Eye Institute offers visitors a wide array of standard and specialized optometric services, all at one site. Open since April 30 of this year, the Eye Institute is located in University of Detroit Mercy’s Novi Campus.
The Eye Institute has all of the standard eye care services one would expect from an optometry clinic, such as comprehensive eye exams and fittings for glasses and contact lenses. It also provides specialized services like vision therapy, ocular disease management, low-vision therapy and binocular vision exams.
Sports vision therapy is also in the works, which seeks to “enhance [athletes’ vision] so they can maximize their efforts on whatever playing field they’re in,” said Robert Onofre, Clinic Director of the Eye Institute.
“We have committed doctors… that specialize in a number of different things, so we’re able to take care of an assortment of different eye care needs,” Onofre said. “It’s kind of a one stop shop where you can receive all these services under one roof.”
According to Onofre, planning for the Eye Institute began in 2021, and site renovations concluded in 2023. This past year was spent finalizing the Eye Institute’s interior and selecting equipment and glasses frames.
The Eye Institute carries over 1,000 frames, Onofre said. Many are from popular brands like Ray Ban, DKNY and Shinola. Some of the frames are covered by Medicaid.
“We’ve got a very lovely selection of beautiful frames that you can get from state insurance,” said Maryke Neiberg, a dean at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Accepting Medicaid is just one way the Eye Institute embodies Detroit Mercy’s commitment to serving the community. The Eye Institute offers discounted services based on income, Onofre said. He added that community outreach to organizations such as housing shelters, school districts and women’s shelters is also underway. Additionally, Neiberg stated that the Lions Club has provided the Eye Institute with grant funding for low-vision patients.
“We’ve got lots of ways of making sure that nobody goes untreated,” Neiberg said.
Some of the Eye Institute’s specialized services are made possible by advanced machines that are being used for on-site research. One such device, the Osiris T, can help “diagnose and monitor conditions such as keratoconus, post-surgical complications, refractive errors, and… customize the contact lens prescription for our patients,” said Pablo De Gracia, a Director of Research at University of Detroit Mercy. The Eye Institute’s research spans “various areas, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, refractive surgeries, ocular movements, and virtual and augmented reality,” De Gracia said.
For patients, a visit to the Eye Institute will likely begin with a comprehensive eye exam.
“When you have a primary care exam, you have a global exam,” Neiberg said. “When we see patients in our chair, we don’t only just check the prescription — we look at their eye health. We make sure that there’s nothing going on in their eyes or in their systemic health, or in their neurologic health.”
According to Sulman Hans, an Executive Associate Dean at University of Detroit Mercy, eye exams can reveal autoimmune diseases, neurologic conditions, infections, diabetes and other health issues in addition to eye problems.
“There are sometimes things that we uncover that the patient didn’t even come in for,” Hans said.
The Eye Institute offers Detroit Mercy students, faculty and staff a number of discounts, including $35 comprehensive eye exams and reduced pricing on glasses, contact lenses and sunglasses
“We just want [the university community] to know that… we’re now here to offer them whatever they need for their eye care,” Hans said.
