This year’s NC State Fair retinal screening booth was a success. Over the course of 11 days, PBNC staff and volunteers provided screenings to 958 fairgoers, helping bring essential vision health services directly into the community. With steady crowds each day and strong engagement from fair attendees, the booth once again proved to be a meaningful way to increase awareness of retinal health in a fun, accessible setting.
We were supported by an incredible group of volunteers representing a wide range of programs and organizations. Volunteers joined us from Wilmington Eye, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State University’s pre-med and pre-optometry clubs, as well as students from Wake Tech and Durham Tech. We were also grateful to have PBNC board members Deborah Holland and Melanie Fraites working alongside the team throughout the fair.
We were especially honored to host several expert readers, including Dr. Nicole Lynch, our star retinal reader; Dr. Emily Gower of UNC, an epidemiologist specializing in global health and ocular epidemiology; Carl, our ambassador from last year who returned as an expert for a morning; and Dr. Charles Robinson, a retired ophthalmologist. Their expertise—and the energy and dedication of every volunteer—made this year’s booth another meaningful success for PBNC and the community we proudly serve.
