Next year, the Rio Grande Valley could be home to a school dedicated to training eye doctors. The plan is to open it in McAllen at the old home of The Monitor newspaper, located on Nolana Avenue near Jackson Road.

State data shows there are 110 eye doctors in the Valley; the majority are in Hidalgo and Cameron counties. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley hopes their new school can help close educational and financial gaps.

Juan Vega knows about vision problems first-hand. His mother requires a specialized optometrist.

"She's had some bleeding in the eyes," Vega said. "She's almost 90."

Vega said his mom sees an eye doctor for a specific condition and that means waiting.

"So backed-up that oftentimes they have to wait for weeks," Vega said.

Vision problems go beyond the eyes. Diabetes, which is prevalent in the Valley, could also impact vision if left untreated.

"My dad passed away a few years ago, but he had diabetes and it affected his eyesight seriously," Vega said.

Dr. Roberto Olivarez has been an optometrist in the Valley for 40 years. While he's seen patients detect vision problems related to diabetes early, he's still seeing a great need for people to get their vision checked.

"Adults waiting until they are in their 40s and 50s or 60s to get their first eye exam, that's very common," Olivarez said.

State data shows there are 110 eye doctors in the Valley. The majority are in Hidalgo and Cameron counties, but Willacy County has no state board-licensed optometrists.

To close the gap on the need for more eye doctors, the former offices of The Monitor newspaper will house the state's third optometry school by next fall.

"We have optometrists coming to the Valley, we just don't have a lot of optometrists who are from the Valley, coming back to the Valley," Olivarez said.

UTRGV is preparing to start stage two of three of the new college's accreditation process. That means the university will be able to start recruiting students and accepting applications.

UTRGV said its Doctor of Optometry program will be the most affordable in the state.

Vega hopes many of those students stay in the Valley.

"I'm hoping this new generation of professionals can take care of the general population here in the future," Vega said.

Renovations to the building are costing about $41 million. Construction will begin by the end of the month or early October.

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