The clinic performs eye exams for young children. (Photo by Auston James via City of Seattle)
The Seattle/King County Clinic returns to Seattle Center for the seventh consecutive year from Oct. 20-23, offering free eye exams and prescription glasses for those who have difficulty obtaining or affording eye care.
According to the Washington Health Care Access Coalition, vision care is one of the scarcest medical services in the state for those in need — so as the clinic nears, organizers are focusing on patient outreach to ensure there is a need of people are aware of this opportunity.
Led by the Seattle Center and the Seattle Center Foundation, the Seattle/King County Clinic brings together medical institutions, civic organizations, nonprofits and private industry to transform the Seattle Center facility into a vision care facility. Licensed healthcare professionals and general support volunteers donate their time and expertise with the goal of helping more than 1,000 people in need over a four-day period.
The Seattle/King County Clinic is open to everyone, not just residents of Seattle or King County — however, tickets are limited and participants receive services on a first-come, first-served basis.
Organizers open the facility each morning at 6 a.m. and begin distributing free admission tickets at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center (corner of 2nd Avenue North and Thomas Street/Lenny Wilkens Road), clinic doors open at 7:30 AM Clinic After opening, patients will be escorted to service facilities and registered with a ticket number for admission and receive free eye care. If prescription glasses are ordered, they will be distributed in early December.
Additional Seattle/King County clinic details include:
- Masks are required, but people should not participate if they feel unwell
- No proof of identity or immigration status required
- Provide free interpretation services
The Seattle/King County clinic is made possible through thousands of donated hours and contributions in cash and in kind. In its first six years, this support helped the clinic provide $20 million in direct services to 23,000 patients.
To learn more about the Seattle/King County Clinic, visit Seattle Center.org/skcclinic or call 206-684-7200.Donations accepted at Seattle Center.org/donations.
