University of Minnesota offering free vision, hearing tests at the State Fair

At the State Fair this year, you can get a Pronto Pup, steaming buttered corn on the cob, and a free vision or hearing test — courtesy of the University of Minnesota’s new mobile sensory health unit.

The van, referred to as the See, Hear, MN mobile unit, debuted this summer and has been traveling around the state to meet patients where they’re at, especially in rural areas where it can be tricky to find care close to home.

Ben Eisenreich, lead research engineer and coordinator for the project at the university’s Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science, said he and his team began envisioning the mobile unit a few years ago wanting to bridge the care gap.

“Hearing health and vision health — it’s important regardless of where you’re at, largely because it’s how we connect and engage with each other,” Eisenreich said. “It really is about how you interact with the world at a very fundamental level.”

Eisenreich said when people struggle to hear or see and their impairment goes untreated, it impacts a person’s ability to connect with others, which can lead to social withdrawal and a whole slew of related negative health outcomes.

Eisenreich said that the community response to the mobile unit has been positive. But it can be challenging for a patient to undertake any necessary additional treatments in rural areas.

For example, if a person finds out from the university team that they are experiencing hearing loss, they may not be able to book a follow up with an audiologist close to home or be able to purchase an affordable hearing aid.

Before the mobile clinic visits an area, university staff try to get plugged in with the local health care facilities, so they know how to make referrals, but, in some areas, that’s minimal.

Since June, the team has taken the mobile unit to locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but also Mower County in southeast Minnesota, Stevens County in the western part of the state, and Rock County near Sioux Falls.

Community events, including the Minnesota State Fair, allow the team to see a large group of Minnesotans in quick succession.

“We wanted to get out and meet different communities,” Eisenreich said. “And it also gives us a chance to look at a cross section of all Minnesota [at once]. It is the big ‘Minnesota Get Together.’”

At the State Fair, visitors can do all sorts of basic screenings — everything from peripheral vision tests to hearing tests with an audiometer. The university will also be conducting studies on fairgoers that volunteer to participate, like a test that reads a participant's brain activity while they listen to an audio book.

The See, Hear, MN mobile unit will be parked by the Little Hands Farm exhibit on the north end of the fairgrounds every day through Sept. 7.

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