Local 3D printing pros create eye shields for Queens hospital staff

Healthcare workers from across the city are in need of personal protective equipment like eye shields and masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By Victoria Merlino

A Brooklyn-based 3D printing professional will donate 5,000 eye shields this week to healthcare workers at Elmhurst Hospital and Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

Jack Keum, an employee of the printing company iMakr, started creating the eye shields two weeks ago, and has already donated 1,000 to hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The initiative has so far raised $10,455 through GoFundMe. 

iMakr began in 2012, and runs the largest 3D printing store in the world, with outposts in London, Paris and New York. 

The donation comes as Queens hospital workers need more personal protective equipment than ever to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Queens is the hardest-hit borough in New York City, accounting for over one third of cases in the city as of April 6.