Medical student founds nonprofit devoted to vision care

Third-year medical student Donavon Dahmer was inspired by scripture to create an organization aimed at helping people better understand the importance of vision care. The quote was from the Book of Luke in the New Testament of the Bible: “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.”

The Lamp Project is a nonprofit organization founded in 2021 dedicated to the education and awareness of eye diseases in communities that are disproportionately affected by such illnesses.

Currently, eye diseases are among the top 10 causes of disability in the United States with African American communities being one of the most deeply impacted. Dahmer, who is the founder and president of the foundation, said that after multiple members of his family were diagnosed with eye diseases, he decided to combine his faith, love of people and his passion for eye care to create The Lamp Project.

“Vision is precious and taken for granted all the time,” Dahmer said. “Most do not expect to lose it; therefore, it can be devastating for patients to learn that they are at risk.”

Dahmer’s website offers information on the most common eye diseases and how to prevent them. While there are genetic variables that can make a person more likely to have any of these diseases, there are other causes that can be prevented by early intervention eye exams.

“My hope is that by equipping individuals with the basic knowledge of protecting their eye health, they are able to make informed decisions in the future to protect their vision long-term,” Dahmer said.

He hopes this project will educate and begin to assist in building trust between minority communities and those who practice medicine. For more information, visit www.thelampproject.org.