Did you know that the Lab offers convenient and comprehensive optometry services right here on the hill site? This valuable resource has been available for decades, with records dating back over 30 years, yet remains one of our best-kept secrets among employees.
Nestled inside the Health Services Clinic in Building 26, Optometry Services provides a range of essential vision services to help monitor and protect employees’ eye health, including:
- Laser eye exams for classified laser users at the Lab
- Prescription safety glasses (current prescription required)
- General eye exams and glasses prescriptions for routine vision care (note that contact lens prescriptions are not offered)
These services are available to all Lab-affiliated individuals at no additional cost. Our onsite optometrist, Dr. Bernard Hale, is available one day a week at Health Services, making it easy to schedule appointments during the workday. To make an appointment, contact Health Services at 510-486-6266.
To learn more about the Lab’s optometry services, we sat down with Dr. Hale, who has been serving the Berkeley Lab community for over 15 years.
Q. What’s the biggest advantage of using the Lab’s optometry services versus going elsewhere?
Bernard Hale: For a lot of people, it’s convenient. We’re right there and you don’t need to take a lot of time out of the day if you’re working on the hill proper. In addition, you do not need vision insurance to see me here.
Q. For employees working with specialized equipment, lasers, or in lab environments, what eye safety tips do you recommend?
Bernard: The Lab is a very safe place so if people follow the safety protocols of the environment they’re in and have the right safety equipment on, they should be just fine. And that’s another thing — regular glasses are not safety glasses, and some people use them that way. It’s basically: wear the right equipment in the right environment.
Q. What’s one thing you wish every Lab employee knew about taking care of their eye health?
Bernard: In general, one of the easiest ways to keep the eyes young and healthy is to eat well, a good diet full of basic building blocks. And if you can’t have a good healthy diet, then maybe take a multivitamin. Wearing hats and sunglasses cuts down on UV radiation, which is probably the thing that causes aging the most and damages the eyes. Smoking is another thing that really speeds up aging and greatly increases your chances of going blind. So those are probably my big basic three things for everyone.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about the optometry services available to them?
Bernard: I exist! I hear all the time “I had no idea we had a health center” and then “I had no idea we had an optometrist.” I think part of that is just the transient nature of the people at the Lab.
For more information about vision care and other health services available to Lab employees, visit Health Services at https://ehs.lbl.gov/service/health-services/.
This article is part of a series highlighting the various resources available through Berkeley Lab’s Health Services. Stay tuned for our next spotlight!
