Hundreds of patients received the gift of sight during the first Medical Eye Team Trip to Fond des Blancs!  This was a miracle to some who had been blind and were able to see following surgery.  For many others receiving glasses gave them a chance to see the world clearly.  For all it was a gift that opened up new possibilities.

The team came laden with a tremendous amount of luggage filled with equipment, eye glasses, and surgical supplies.  Bag after bag after bag was loaded into the green pick-up truck for the dusty 5-hour ride to Fond des Blancs from the airport in Port-au-Prince.  The VOSH team (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) of 10 included optometrists Dr. Pauline Leong, trip coordinator, Dr. Young Ahn, Dr. Angela Huang, opthalmologist Dr. Martin Arkin and 6 assistants from various fields. 

The unpacking and set-up the next day went very well.  It was amazing to see the operating suite turned into an Eye Clinic and the OR into a room specially equipped for cataract surgery.   In anticipation for the team, the hospital had given out 400 appointment cards to prospective patients.  Never before had eye care been available to anyone at our hospital.  The nearest place was at least a 2 ½ hour drive away and totally out of the reach of the poor.  If you wear eye glasses or contact lenses, imagine what your life would be like without them.  Every day, thousands of people go without the ability to read, do detailed work, or see off into the distance.  A significant number of them are blind due to advanced cataracts and/or glaucoma. 

Monday morning arrived bright and sunny.  Patients were beginning to line up at 7 a.m.  A special light  called a slit lamp is required for diagnosis of cataracts so no patients had been identified for surgery that day.   Dr. Arkin worried that his time would be wasted and immediately began screening for the worst cases.   As the Eye Team swung into action, the excitement was tangible.   Patients were screened for health history and eye problems.  Next they were seen by optometrists in a fully equipped eye clinic.  In no time cataract patients were identified and Dr. Arkin began his first surgery. 

Outside, smiling patients emerged wearing shiny new eye glasses.  That first day, 113 patients were seen.  Four had cataract surgery and a large number received eye glasses.  The best part came the next day as the bandages were removed from the surgical patients.  All had been blind for some time.  Each of them could see again.  One little lady from our Queen of Peace Elderly Home pointed excitedly to all of the things she could see in the room.  What a privilege it was to be part of this effort!

By the end of the week, 534 patients were seen and 16 had received eye surgery---14 for cataracts and 2 for pterygium, an abnormal growth of the conjunctiva in front of the eye.  The services provided by the team were extremely well received and patients clamored to see the doctors.  A common complaint was itching and burning of the eyes, a condition aggravated by the constant presence of charcoal smoke in the air everywhere you go.  Charcoal fires are the only source of cooking fuel for the poor whose diet consists of beans and rice.     There is no escaping its pollutants.  Patients were given eye drops to alleviate the irritation and all received sunglasses to protect their eyes from Ultraviolet rays, a leading cause of cataracts. 

We will begin working on finding a team for next year as it is obvious that eye services are very much needed in Fond des Blancs.  We thank the entire team for their hard work and efforts on behalf of the poor.  It was a tremendous effort with outstanding results.   Thank you for bringing the light of good vision to our patients in Haiti.