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An Unforgettable Experience

Blog Submitted by Alexandra Stripp

Alexandra Stripp is a student at ACS International School, Hillingdon. Since 2000, American Community School (ACS) has partnered ORBIS to promote international education and global citizenship among its students.  Every year, high achieving students go through a rigorous selection process for three internships during one week on board the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.

In April 2012, I was lucky enough to be able to follow the work of the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam for a week, together with three other students from ACS International Schools and the Westminster Academy, and I can say without doubt that for me it was a life changing experience. 

The work of ORBIS fascinates me on many levels. First of all as a human being, wanting to make a difference in the world - it was amazing to be a part of a team that each year changes thousands of lives. Secondly, as I am planning to study medicine, the actual work ORBIS carries out fascinates me on a medical level. And finally the way passionate specialists come together in a team, sharing their knowledge and engaging others while changing the life of people in great need is an amazing experience to be a part of.  

Monday morning was the screening day, the day where pre-selected patients come to the local eye hospital to be examined. This is a very busy and tiring day, many patients come and leave, and as the Medical Director of the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital told me, the day is “controlled chaos”.

Each patient was put into one of three groups, depending what treatment was needed. The three categories were cataract, oculoplastics and surgical retina, with one ORBIS Volunteer Faculty member in charge of each. Each patient’s situation was individually evaluated, and about 20 from each category were chosen to have a surgery by ORBIS Volunteer Faculty and local hands-on trainees.

I was following Dr. Kutzscher’s work that day. He is specialized in cataract and had come all the way from the U.S. to volunteer for ORBIS. This is also one of the things that made ORBIS such a great experience, all the staff, everyone is so committed and it was so amazing to observe them striving for what they believe and work for. This was also shown in Dr. Kutzcher’s way of very explaining to us what he would be doing and looking for while examining each patient. 

The next three days were again hard work for the doctors, nurses and the rest of the team, as the selected patients would be treated. One doctor would be located at the local eye hospital and the two others would carry out surgeries on the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. 

The days on the plane were very exciting. I was able to scrub-in at (assist at) a surgery, which made me understand much better how it all works. I saw the importance of the many people involved both before, during and after a surgery. When not scrubbing in, one can follow the live streaming of the surgeries with a doctor explaining every move on a screen in the Flying Eye Hospital classroom. 

This was so helpful and fascinating at the same time, as it was much easier to understand what was going on when both actually seeing it, but also having it explained. In the ORBIS classroom at the front of the plane, local trainees were following and learning from an ORBIS Volunteer Faculty member, and in-between each surgery other classes or lectures were held. Quickly, without knowing much about ophthalmology, one felt engaged by the passion of the doctors, showing different cases they had performed themselves in their home-country and then explaining the differences. 

The aircraft also carries a simulator, used by trainees, which we were allowed to try. This was very hard, but enjoyable at the same time, giving insight about how much training and perfection the doctors need during the surgeries, where 0.5mm can make a huge difference. 

The emotional moments of this experience will probably stay with me the longest, if not forever. I especially remember standing looking into the operation room as a surgery just finished. As soon the translator, told the patient that everything went well, she took the doctor’s hand, kissed it and said ‘thank you very much’ while a tear dropped from her eye. At this point, I think I realized how big a difference ORBIS makes to these people. 

I feel so privileged that I got the chance of following ORBIS in, Da Nang, Vietnam. For me, the trip was an unforgettable experience. Following the work of the entire ORBIS team, feeling the passion about each person’s profession and their experiences with ORBIS, seeing patients entering the plane with bad vision, and leaving the plane the same day, with improved vision, which, for most of the patients would not be a possibility without ORBIS. 
I will never forget this trip and I am so thankful to ORBIS for giving me this opportunity.

Why Eye Intern

Blog Submitted by Muhammad Javad

Muhammad Javed is an Intern for the Program and Communication departments at ORBIS’s New York office. He is a third-year student at City University of New York-Baruch College pursing a BA degree in Psychology.  

Born in a rural village in Punjab, Pakistan, I was just another child viewing poverty up close. Little did I know that what I could see would greatly change. In 1993, at age two, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a pediatric cancer of the retina. My family took me to local and distant physicians, but there was simply no treatment available in Pakistan. My family was told to "go to Europe or America if you want your child to survive.” 

Fortunately, my father had immigrated to America several years earlier and was able to arrange for my mother and me to come to the US in the fall of 1993. I spent the next eight months undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for the cancer. The treatment was  successful, but they had to remove my right eye and I developed a cataract in my left eye.

With the support of my family, friends and teachers, I learned to patiently persevere with my progressive vision loss. I appreciated whatever I could see and that kept me persistent for the next 16 years. 

In 2009, I underwent a long-awaited cataract surgery. I had little expectations of how the world would look with better vision. Instead, I feared that I might lose it all if the surgery did not go well. Gratefully, that was not the case. 

My vision improved immensely. It was nothing less than a miracle. Everything looked so vibrant and real, that I felt it was unreal. I was able to read regular print with just the aid of glasses, something I was never able to do. I no longer needed to use a cane when travelling alone and eventually applied for a driver’s license. Everything from the beautiful faces of my parents to the ubiquitous, yet indiscriminate, specks of paint on the surface of the wall of my room was visible in a new beautiful light. 

But more than ever, I have come to appreciate each ray of light that miraculously passes through my minuscule pupil to paint a masterpiece on the canvas of my mind’s eye every time I blink. I was overwhelmed with all the visual impulses, insights and ideas, but I just cannot get enough of these miracles now. My eye lets me see the perpetual miracle of vision and it is has since been my mission to do whatever I can to help others experience this blessing, especially those who may be needlessly deprived of it. 

I was still adjusting to my new vison when I started college a few months after the surgery. I decided to study psychology, because how we see is an amazingly intricate phenomenon that involves not just our eyes but also our mind. I began to volunteer at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, the hospital where I had my surgery. I also served as a sighted-guide to blind individuals at various organizations and events. It was through this dedication to vision that I eventually learned about ORBIS. 

My ophthalmologist told me about ORBIS during one of my follow-up visits. I already had an affinity with anything related to vision, but ORBIS’s novel Flying Eye Hospital gave the noble initiative to prevent blindness a completely new dimension. In the following semester I enrolled in an “Internship in Nonprofit” course at my university and requested to intern at ORBIS. 

I received the privilege of interning at ORBIS in April and I cannot be any happier. The mission and vision of ORBIS is innate to me and I hope to continue to contribute to it in the years to come. My personal experience of being born in a developing country, developing a tumor in my retina, losing a significant amount of vision and fortunately regaining vision after sixteen years of vision impairment inspires me to be a part of ORBIS to further our shared goal to help people see the world. 

Hoop Dreams in the Philippines

This year ORBIS is celebrating 30 years of saving sight worldwide. March 1, 1982 is when ORBIS took flight for its first medical training program. 

Blog and Photos Submitted by Geoff Oliver Bugbee

Geoff Oliver Bugbee is Visual Communications Consultant at ORBIS. He has worked in documentary and international development photography for over 15 years.

In Iloilo, Philippines, American NBA basketball is widely broadcast on many of the local television stations.  More than a few of the star players on the screen are role models for Filipino kids.  Rafael Lopez, age 7, dreams of playing basketball with his classmates. But until now, he’s been excluded from the game because he couldn’t see.

At six months of age, Rafael’s mother, Narry Angelie Lopez, age 33, noticed that her son’s right eye was misaligned in an upward direction, and that he often tilted his head to a severe degree to compensate for the malady.  Doctors told her to wait to see if the condition corrected itself, but over time she monitored Rafael’s eye and noticed it wasn’t showing improvement.

“As Rafael has been growing up, I have noticed there has been an issue with his speech and his understanding, his development is kind of delayed,” said Narry. “In fact, he only began to talk in a significant manner when he reached 5 years old.” 

A friend told her that perhaps the reason Rafael was delayed in his language and speech was due to the tilt of his head. Rafael’s condition, strabismus, was first diagnosed by medical students from West Visayas State University who were conducting research on children with debilitating eye conditions in his elementary school  in 2011. 

He was referred to Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC), ORBIS’s partner for the three-week ORBIS International and FedEX-sponsored Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) high-level skills exchange program. On February 20, 2012, the first day of screening for the FEH program, Rafael was chosen as a surgical teaching case by ORBIS volunteer faculty member Dr. Gillian Adams, a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. 

Dr. Adams knew that the reason Rafael turned his head to one side was because he would see double vision otherwise.  As they sat on a bench at screening day, Dr. Adams noticed that his mother placed a wet cloth inside of his t-shirt to ease the neck pain he was experiencing as a result of his chronic head tilt. 

“I saw that this child was going to have secondary effects from the permanent twist of his spine,” said Dr. Adams. “During the post-ops this morning, his head was much straighter and he looked a lot more comfortable.  Because of the surgery, he’s actually going to get two benefits: he’s going to get rid of his double vision and by holding his head straight, he’s not going to create damage to his neck vertebrae,” she said. “This child had a vertical squint and it’s a procedure that is not commonly taught to people here,” said Dr. Adams.

Dr. Adams worked side-by-side in the operating room on board the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital with WVMC’s Dr. Nathaniel Chan, her immediate trainee.

“Dr. Chan knew what the operation should be, but had never done it before. We took Dr. Chan step-by-step through the procedure, so that he can not only perform the procedure himself, but now has the knowledge to train other doctors.  It’s the ripple effect of giving one person knowledge and them passing it on,” Dr. Adams said.

During the post-operative check-up at WVMC the following day, Narry was thrilled with the results of her son’s surgery. “On the evening of Rafael’s surgery, his grandmother was overjoyed to hear him say a complete sentence without stuttering,” she said. 

And thanks to the surgery, she’s confident Rafael will be out on the basketball court in no time.

Photography by: Geoff Oliver Bugbee

The Great Ethiopian Run: Lasting Memories

Blog submitted by Charlotte Coleman-Smith

Charlotte Coleman-Smith is one of the 30,000 people who took part in Africa’s biggest road race –The Great Ethiopian Run, a challenging 10km at 10,000 feet above sea level.  She is part of the ORBIS Ireland team who took on this massive challenge in November. Charlotte shares with us her feelings after the race.

It's now a week since I arrived back from Addis. Last night, I was out with friends who were asking me about the Run. Above the noise of a busy restaurant, I found myself summing up the incredible trip. There were so many different threads to it that I struggled to weave them together into a coherent whole. In fact, each time I’m asked, I seem to come up with a new pattern, which is surely a reflection of the complexity of feeling that comes out of such an experience.

First, of course, I tell them that it was brilliant, and one of the best things I’ve done. Then, to explain the hoarseness of my voice, I get sidetracked into discussing the intensity of the schedule and the packed programme we followed from the moment we landed. I might tell them about the traditional meal on the first night; watching the great Haile Gebrselassie dance the night before the Run; the Irish ambassador’s reception up in the hills; the final late night of clubbing in Addis and the two-hour sleep which came before the flight home. I’ll describe the great craic we all had as a group, and in our own little sub-sets (apparently, we were the ‘Yummy Mummies’. I like that).

But most of all, I want to get across to my friends the warmth of the welcome we found in Ethiopia, how worthwhile all of the training and fundraising felt as soon as we were touring the hospital and hearing from those who work in the field about the way the ORBIS money is spent. We were in Ethiopia for a very brief time, yet it was long enough to get a sense that this is an incredibly varied country, which is so much more than the sum of all the news stories of the past few decades.

There’s incredible poverty and hardship – we saw this on every roadside, and particularly on the outskirts of Addis Ababa - but also a growing middle class, an economy that’s getting ever stronger, and a confidence and pride that shines out. This was very clear to me during the Run, as groups of friends, families and colleagues came together to celebrate the national sport, and simply to enjoy being who they are.

We, of course, were lucky enough to have a lot of fun while doing our bit for charity. This was, after all, predominantly an Irish group. Perhaps some might take issue with that. But in order to become ambassadors for ORBIS, I reckon it’s better for the participants to come home with a positive feeling about the country and people they are trying to help.

I would love to return and see more; perhaps travel south to the ORBIS projects. But even if I don’t, the trip to Addis Ababa of November 2011 will give me material for stories for a very long time. Perhaps these stories might persuade others to do their bit for ORBIS in years to come – if only so they can beat me at my own game!

Poverty, Cost-Effectiveness and Eye Care

Blog submitted by Barbara A. DeBuono, MD, MPH

Barbara A. DeBuono, MD, MPH is President and CEO of ORBIS

Cost-effective analysis is a measure that is discussed frequently in the context of healthcare in the United States. This process compares the costs and the benefits of a healthcare-related intervention. In the field of eye care it is clear that the benefits outweigh the cost.

On World Sight Day, I had the opportunity to attend a VISION 2020 congressional briefing in Washington DC with other eye care partners and government officials. The theme of the event was Cost Effectiveness of Blindness Prevention Activities. The event featured a presentation by Dr. Kevin Frick, professor at John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and an expert in calculating cost-effectiveness of health care.

We all know that the cost of blindness and visual impairment in the United States is enormous. According to Dr. Frick, in the United States a blind individual aged 40 or older spends an extra $2587 on medical care every year. In 2008, the estimated United States societal medical cost of all blind individuals was $2.7 billion.¹ Imagine what this would look like on a global scale.

When we apply these factors to the developing world, this cost goes beyond an economic and financial burden. Yet, we do not have strong data and research to support this assumption. What we do know is that blindness and visual impairment impact quality of life. In these communities, these conditions can hinder an individual’s ability to gain an education, gain employment and contribute to family financial stability. Ultimately, this can trap a family in a cycle of poverty. Studies have shown for example that individuals with cataract are more likely to be poor than those with normal vision.²

There has been little research to examine the correlation between blindness and poverty. ORBIS and partners in South Africa are currently working to help fill this gap. Using results of a household survey conducted by the South African War on Poverty Initiative, ORBIS and partners collected data regarding eye care in poor South African households. This will be followed by an analysis of the relationship between factors such as disability, access to healthcare and blindness. The results will be shared with the South African government for planning and advocacy purposes.  Examining blindness in the context of poverty can serve as a powerful advocacy tool for increased budget and attention to eye care services.

This is the data and information we need to put eye health on the global agenda. At ORBIS we hope to continue to work with global partners and use such data to advocate for increased eye care services and blindness prevention globally.

Children perform at the opening celebration for the ORBIS supported Pediatric Eye Care Center in Durban, South Africa in partnership with the KwaZulu Natal (KZN) Department of Health.

1. Frick, K. “Cost-Effectiveness of Blindness Prevention” Vision 2020 World Sight Day 2012 Congressional Briefing. Washington DC

2. International Center for Eye Health. (2009). Cataract Impact Study: Summary report. Retrieved from https://www.iceh.org.uk/display/WEB/Cataract+impact+study#

The Great Ethiopian Run: I’m elated, and terrified.

Blog submitted by Charlotte Coleman-Smith

Charlotte Coleman-Smith is one  of the over 30,000 people who will take to the streets of Addis Ababa to participate in Africa’s biggest road race – a challenging 10km at 10,000 feet above sea level.  She is part of the ORBIS Ireland team taking on this massive challenge at the end of November 2011. Charlotte shares with us her preparations, fears and excitement in anticipation of the race.

After two years of procrastination, I've finally made the decision to join the ORBIS Ireland team on the Great Ethiopian Run. I'm elated, and terrified.
 
Elated - because it's the trip of a lifetime, a huge personal challenge for me, and a chance to prove that I am more than just a Mum, and all-round domestic goddess. I get to go to a fascinating country - one that's been on my list for many years and I can't wait.
 
More importantly, by supporting ORBIS, I'm turning my mind towards people who are so much less fortunate than myself. The pictures I've seen of little boys suffering from trachoma in quiet agony, red-eyed and despairing, contrast so starkly with my three strapping, healthy, happy sons. Their situation throws so many things in perspective. And because the aim of ORBIS in Ethiopia is so simple - to restore sight - it makes my goal crystal clear. This helps hugely with motivation when I am dying of boredom on my fourth lap of the local sports field.
 
I'm terrified, though, because I'm no athlete, and 10k is twice as far as I'm used to. In 2010 I was in hospital more times than I care to remember, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. I'm certainly fit to go now, but I'm keeping my expectations low - I'd like simply to finish the course. 
 
As I write, late at night, I’m basking in the scent of newly baked brownies and fresh flowers. Every chair we own stands to attention against any available wallspace, in anticipation of a crowd of mums (and possibly one dad) I’ve invited over tomorrow morning. The dishwasher is labouring over its load of sticky spoons and cake beaters.

The time has nearly come for my fundraising coffee morning.

‘Nice life you have’, shrugged my husband earlier as he eyed the cakes and scones. ‘Coffee mornings, trips to Ethiopia ...’ I remind him that after I’d cooked and cleared up the family meal, I did 5k on the treadmill in the gym, returned to the kitchen and incorporated my own body weight in sugar and dark chocolate into 46 brownies. It’s not easy being an elite athlete.

I’m new to the area, so I’m not sure how it will all go. I’m hoping that the mix of caffeine and chocolate will entice my new friends to be generous to the cause. Who knows, I might well recruit some victims for next year’s run.

In just one week we’ll be on the plane to Addis. What a thought. If I go to the gym every day, I wonder if that’s long enough to work off a plate of brownies?

Charlotte Coleman-Smith

Rural Outreach in Vietnam

Blog submitted by Neha Lalani

Neha Lalani is a student from ACS International School, through ORBIS' partnership with ACS Dillon was selected to participate in an internship for that allows students to take part in an ORBIS program overseas. 

 

After working for a week in Da Nang with the crew of the Flying Eye Hospital both on the plane and in the local hospital their willingness to give up their whole Saturday to help those who needed it was the most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen.

The first thing I noticed about the clinic in which ORBIS was going to be working was the surprising lack of people outside. It was 9 in the morning and we had just arrived at a rural outreach program being carried out just outside Hue, the location of the old Imperial City in Vietnam. It wasn’t until we entered the eye clinic that we saw the first few people waiting for treatment. The program had been advertised on the radio so there was close to 500 people who had turned up for basic eye checks. Perry Athanason, the Communications Director of the Flying Eye Hospital who organized this outreach, took us down the single corridor and showed us the process each person went through.

 
As soon as a person entered the clinic they were taken to Visual Acuity where their sight was tested in each eye, if the staff ophthalmologist thought they needed extra examination they were directed towards one of the three examination rooms. We were then each assigned one room, to act as general assistants to the staff ophthalmologists who were doing examinations in that room. The first patients had already come and were being examined by doctors from either Hue Eye Hospital or Da Nang Eye Hospital. After a patient had been to an examination room and they had a problem with their eyesight they were seen by ORBIS staff. The staff in the patient care room either helped to schedule their surgery at one of the local hospitals or gave them some more information on their condition. There were a few lucky people who were having normal eyesight and were able to go home straight away.

The patients who were being seen at this particular outreach program were mainly older adults whose most common complaint I noticed was cataracts in varying states of severity. Dr. Hunter Cherwek the medical director aboard the Flying Eye Hospital soon took over an empty room turning it into an extra examination room allowing more people to be seen at one time.

The whole process looked so smooth and practiced like everyone had been doing it for years, it ran so smoothly. By the end the staff had seen 225 patients collectively, which was a lot more than the expected 200. The whole day felt like it was over in a blink, there was so much to keep everyone busy. A day very well spent indeed!

 

Internship Visit to ORBIS

Blog submitted by Dillon Van Auken

Dillon Van Auken is a student from ACS International School, through ORBIS' partnership with ACS Dillon was selected to participate in an internship for that allows students to take part in an ORBIS program overseas. 

Today featured the commencement of ORBIS’s Da Nang program in the form of screening day, over which the ORBIS doctors (known as Volunteer Faculty or “VF’s”) examined around twenty-five patients to determine appropriate later treatment. 

As today was quite busy in preparation for the rest of the week, our job as interns was to mainly observe the doctors and identify prospective case-studies that we will be writing as the week goes on. Each of us went to certain specialty screening rooms, which included retinopathy, led by Dr Hampton; glaucoma, led by Dr Piltz-Seymour; and paediatrics, led by Dr Black. Gradually we moved in between rooms to grasp the wide array of ocular problems facing the local people and the subsequent treatment that they would be receiving from ORBIS.

Each doctor would examine the patients in front of several hands-on trainees, local doctors from Da Nang, other areas in Vietnam, and some from Cambodia and Laos. The doctor would examine the patient’s eyes with various instruments, whilst also explaining the observations to the hands-on trainees. It was truly amazing to watch the doctors do this, as they had to cope with actual treatment of a patient, teaching, and a language barrier all at once. Despite these tough requirements, each did so very calmly and efficiently.

After observing each patient, the doctors would decide whether to perform surgery on the Flying Eye Hospital, the Da Nang Eye Hospital, or to postpone surgery for local doctors to carry out at a later date. From each section, four patients were chosen to go to the Flying Eye Hospital, four were chosen to go the Da Nang Eye Hospital, and the rest were selected for later surgeries, although some did not require surgery at all.

So far, this trip has already been extremely moving and inspirational for me personally.  Observing the doctors today was one of the few times in my life where I have seen people be genuinely selfless and devoted to helping others.  Often, even in charity work, self-interest is still a major motivator, yet these doctors as well as the entire ORBIS staff are committed to genuine philanthropy. It was also very emotional to see the numerous patients, many of them children, with very severe eye conditions that could have been prevented with greater infrastructure and development. Yet, the sadness of their conditions is counteracted by the optimism that they will have treatment this week through the help of ORBIS. It will be great to see their progress at the hands of the wonderful ORBIS staff over the week.

An Unforgettable Year

Blog submitted by Dr Grace Prakalapakorn. Grace has been an ORBIS staff ophthalmologist onboard the Flying Eye Hospital for the past year.

Hello and Welcome aboard ORBIS!. Please find your seats, ensure your seat backs are in the upright position, tray tables are stored and your seat belts are fastened. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight! 

 A year in the life of a staff ophthalmologist aboard the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital was a busy one. There was always a lot of work to do and never a dull moment. When we were in plane mode, the days began early, often ended late and we would sometimes work for three straight weeks without a day off! Even when we had a “day off,” we would on occasion hold vision screenings or community outreach projects in schools or within a community. Off the plane, the work did not end. I conducted clinical reviews of surgical patients, helped with hospital based programs, evaluated local eye centers and hospitals and worked on program planning for upcoming programs. 

This year, I wore many hats alongside that of a staff ophthalmologist, including but not limited to a biomedical engineering assistant, ER doctor, tour guide, plane custodian, circulating OR nurse, community outreach volunteer, patient advocate, Cyber Sight® contributing author, character in a documentary, educator, student, goodwill ambassador, and even flight attendant (would you like some cream and sugar with your coffee?)!! ORBIS offers opportunities not only to the patients and doctors that participate in its programs, but also to its staff: how many people can say they’ve been to Nigeria 4 times in 8 months?! :)  

 Being a part of the Flying Eye Hospital was a very unique and rewarding experience. The most memorable part of the year was the people: the patients and their families, host doctors, crew members and our fabulous volunteers. One of the most memorable moments of my year was hearing the cries and tears of an elderly lady as her patch was removed the day after cataract surgery. She had been living with bilateral cataracts for many years and had become dependent on those around her due to her poor vision. Another is watching a young infant take those first few steps and walk around by herself after cataract surgery, whereas before surgery she was too timid to leave her mother’s arms because of her severe visual impairment. These are not uncommon stories you will hear around the world and to reflect about the difference we made in their lives and those of their families and communities by making them more independent and less of a burden on the resources of those around them. It always brings a smile to my face knowing that I was a part of that. But the work we do goes beyond these two individuals, we work to build capacity and enable and empower the local community, doctors, nurses, engineers, and technicians to care for those around them and hopefully teach others. 

 Thank you ORBIS for the work you do and for a wonderful year!!

Photos by Perry Athanason

A Great Day in China

Blog submitted by Rajan Chandrasekaran

Rajan is a staff nurse on the Flying Eye Hospital and has been part of the crew since March 2007. 

During our Flying Eye Hospital program in Dalian, China, we were given the opportunity to conduct a rural outreach program with our partners from the He Eye Hospital. This is something that ORBIS regularly does and is organized by our communications manager, Perry Athanason.

Perry told us that this program’s outreach campaign was to help screen up to 400 children in a school outside of Dalian. I was very excited about this, as pediatric eye care was the major focus of the Flying Eye Hospital program. Our role was to help screen these children for refractive error, and to help record the data using forms provided by our host hospital (this was an ongoing project of our hosts and we dedicated our time to help them screen the children, and help raise the awareness of childhood blindness).

It was Saturday and the ORBIS team arrived at the school to find several hundred kids organized in several classrooms of the school. I was very surprised to find that the kids were not crying and screaming, as you might think when you gather hundreds of children – they were very well behaved and all very cute.

All the kids were told to stand in a line so we could check their visual acuity, which was followed by an examination with a direct ophthalmoscope (to check the back of the eye). I found the kids to be very cooperative and they each read the eye charts while smiling and having fun.

ORBIS also held a seminar for the parents of those children offering them some basic tips on preventable blindness in pediatrics and what to look for in their own kids that may signal that they are having problems with their eyes.

As we finished the screening day and were preparing to leave, it was a surprise for the ORBIS team to find all the children lined up in the play-yard waiting to sing us songs before we departed. For 15 minutes, the children performed songs and dances they had learned in school to show their appreciation for helping them and it was one of the most adorable things I have seen in my time with ORBIS.

It was a great experience to participate in this outreach program and all the kids were awesome, I was very happy to be a part in helping the parents, teachers and the children prevent blindness in their schools and community.

Photo by Rajan Chandrasekaran