Five days, 815 athletes, and a stadium not yet built

March 10, 2026 Mimi Wong

As soon as I stepped into the role of first-time clinical co-director of Opening Eyes, Special Olympics New Zealand told me we would be running a record five screening days, with more athletes than ever before, on a smaller budget than usual, during a busy time of year and in an unfinished stadium.

 

The Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes (SOLCIOE) programme was held in Christchurch’s Parakiore Stadium from 9–14 December last year. As one of the core clinical disciplines within the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programme, the initiative provides vision screening to athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), delivered globally at local, national and World Games events.

 

 

Sarah Whylie, Ashleigh Ross, Christine Johnston, Makena Crosby

 

I knew I had the passion but pulling off an event of this magnitude would take 100 volunteers and immense support from suppliers. My co-director Yvonne Shepherd and I had been passed the baton by Evan Brown and Grant Dabb, who have made Opening Eyes look seamless over the last two decades. However, we hadn’t yet built the deep relationships required to ask optometrists, dispensers, students and sponsors to give up their time and resources.

 

Volunteer recruitment started seven months prior, with NZ Optics and Auckland University helping with the callout. The response was overwhelming, reaching our goal within days. Students and dispensers were the first to respond, then, weeks later, shy optometrists. Sponsors old and new were nothing but supportive, but without the foundation built by our predecessors a cold start would have looked very different. The event was a success, despite setbacks – such as sickness, injury and changes in personal circumstances – reducing our volunteer numbers. At one point, we genuinely questioned whether we could safely run the fifth day, with a high number of athletes expected to return to complete their screenings. However, what happened next was one of the most humbling moments of my career. The Christchurch optometry and dispensing community rallied immediately – phones rang, messages flew in, rosters shifted and, somehow, the clinic held. It was a powerful reminder of what this profession becomes when purpose overrides convenience.

 

On the home straight

 

It was a privilege to work alongside athletes with IDD. Our volunteers would be the first to tell you that the work is both deeply fulfilling and tiring. Many arrived with quiet reservations, yet within minutes they were high-fiving athletes and exchanging stories. The highlight for athletes was the free eyewear provided by our sponsors, with many of them still wearing the ones donated at the last games four years ago!

 

Lunch breaks were often forgotten, not through expectation but because athletes from across the country were lining up, sometimes for hours, to be seen. Volunteers reported they gained skills, insight and valuable experience.

 

One optometrist told me she had rediscovered why she first chose this profession, revelling in the knowledge that she was genuinely changing lives. Students thrived, growing in confidence and communication in real time. Clinicians pushed through their own fatigue, athletes pushed through their exhaustion and somehow the entire clinic moved like clockwork. In those five days, we screened 815 athletes, dispensed 457 pairs of prescription eyewear, made over 100 referrals for ongoing care and supplied over 400 pairs of plano sunglasses.

 

Yvonne Shepherd and author Mimi Wong at final check-out

 

Thanks to the 52 lion club members that made it all possible and for the Christchurch optical community for quickly stepping up when we were short on volunteers. Thanks, too, to our sponsors: Optimed, OIC, OptiqueLine and oDocs Eyecare, which provided us with equipment and BlephadexPro wipes. Safilo Group and OneSight EssilorLuxottica provided the athletes’ free prescription eyewear or plano sunglasses/sports goggles of their choosing.

 

SOLCIOE is not just about vision screening, it is about reducing barriers and delivering eyecare with dignity. It reminds us that clinical excellence and compassion are inseparable. I am deeply proud of what we achieved together and profoundly grateful to everyone who made it possible.

 

Mimi Wong is a Queenstown-based optometrist with a special interest in concussion care. A strong advocate for neurodiversity, she brings a practical and compassionate approach that challenges conventional thinking about the role of vision in learning, function and everyday life.