However, the cost of eyeglasses, prescriptions, hospital services and fees of other medical professionals are not covered. Not eligible for financial assistance are patients who are in a prepaid health care plan or who obtain care through a government care facility such as the Armed Forces or Veterans Administration. This is not a direct referral service. When you call the hotline, you are not provided with the name of a favored physician in your general area. Rather, the NECP Helpline matches you with a volunteer ophthalmologist as close as possible to your home through the use of computerized zip code tables.
Assignments are in rotating order.
A physician will receive a second patient only after all other volunteer ophthalmologists in the area have been assigned a first patient. It has been operating since 1986 and has helped more than 500,000 seniors gain access to medical eye care. The NECP also enrolls retina subspecialists as special retina volunteers. Please read it.