SVOSH-NECO 2013
Las Americas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
April 6-14, 2013
After three years of vision screenings, parking lot fundraisers, glasses sorting, and bake sales, the reward had finally come. On April 6, our SVOSH-NECO group began our journey to the Dominican Republic for a week of providing eye care, glasses, and medications to those in need. Our group consisted of only 14 optometry students and 3 optometrists, several less than in years past. Would we be able to see many patients? Were we capable of meeting the immense need for eye care in the Dominican Republic? In the wee hours of the morning, our small group landed on Dominican soil, aware that we may not achieve as much as in years past, but confident we would do our best.
Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, we met Kylie, the project manager of Batey Relief Alliance and an indispensable addition to our team. Batey Relief Alliance is an organization that works to improve socio-economic conditions in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Peru, and they were in charge of organizing much of our time in the Dominican Republic. Kylie served as interpreter, project manager, and tour guide, and became a great friend to us all. On our first day, after we familiarized ourselves with the beach, Kylie escorted our group to the work site closer to the capital of Santo Domingo. We spent the first afternoon preparing work stations and organizing drops, glasses, and toys for the kids.
On Monday morning, our group met at 8:00 AM to begin our day. We made the short trip to our work site and were greeted by a nice crowd of people. After breaking into our stations of entrance testing, retinoscopy/refraction, and pathology, we began our work under the direction of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna-Maria Baglieri and Dr. Devina Patel. We worked hard that first day, breaking only for a short lunch, and helping each other when stations got backed up. We treated 150 (we saw approx 225 patients the 1st day), a respectable number for a group our size. Over the next four days, however, we picked up the pace. Word had spread, with the help of radio advertisements and news reporters, that American doctors were giving free eye exams and glasses. Each morning we were met with more and more patients, some waiting since 5 in the morning. We accommodated this increased need for care by working harder and more efficiently, and by the end of the fifth day, we had treated over 1,300 patients. That was more than the larger SVOSH-NECO group saw last year (we’re competitive!) and a number we were proud of.
Under the instruction of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna Maria Baglieri, and Dr. Devina Patel, all of the students were able to improve their ophthalmoscopy and retinoscopy skills, and learned to use hand-held equipment like slit lamps and tonometers. We are also able to practice speaking Spanish, a skill that was invaluable in this setting, and will be very helpful in any optometry setting in the future. The common findings we encountered daily included presbyopic refractive errors, cataracts(mild to severe), and pterygia. We were exposed to interesting cases as well, including sclerocornea, retinitis pigmentosa, hypertensive retinopathy, toxoplasmosis, advanced glaucoma, optic atropy, epiretinal membranes, proliferative diabetic retinopathy ocular prosthesis, trauma related ocular findings, and high refractive errors. We were also able to give something to almost every patient, whether it be medications, artificial tears, prescription glasses, sunglasses, or a toy. For special cases, when we didn’t have the necessary prescription for a patient, we took the patient’s information so we can have lenses specially made and sent to them.
For most of us, this trip was our first time to the Dominican Republic, and for some, their first time leaving the United States. Although the trip is mostly aimed at providing eye care for the people of the Dominican Republic, we also wanted it to be a cultural experience for our group. On our last day, Kylie took us into the capital of Santo Domingo, into a slum (barrios) where the most impoverished people live. She introduced us to her friend and his family, who graciously accepted us into their small home, borrowing chairs from neighbors so we could all sit, and offering us a beverage as to be a good host. It was amazing to see how proud and kind these people could be, while living with so little. It was an experience that made us all rethink the way we live our own lives and to question what is most important to us. The rest of the day was spent exploring Santo Domingo, eating empanadas, and taking in some sun on the beach, a well-deserved break after a long week of hard work.
While packing our things to return to the U.S., we reflected on the week. We had accomplished so much in such a short time, and with a smaller group. We had made personal connections with many patients and volunteers. We saw cases we may never see again in our lives, and we improved our clinical skills. We also learned about a way of life that made us appreciate how fortunate we are to live where we do. We were proud for accomplishing so much and happy we were able to help so many patients in need, but we were also thankful for such a unique learning experience, both optometricaly and culturally.
Las Americas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
April 6-14, 2013
After three years of vision screenings, parking lot fundraisers, glasses sorting, and bake sales, the reward had finally come. On April 6, our SVOSH-NECO group began our journey to the Dominican Republic for a week of providing eye care, glasses, and medications to those in need. Our group consisted of only 14 optometry students and 3 optometrists, several less than in years past. Would we be able to see many patients? Were we capable of meeting the immense need for eye care in the Dominican Republic? In the wee hours of the morning, our small group landed on Dominican soil, aware that we may not achieve as much as in years past, but confident we would do our best.
Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, we met Kylie, the project manager of Batey Relief Alliance and an indispensable addition to our team. Batey Relief Alliance is an organization that works to improve socio-economic conditions in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Peru, and they were in charge of organizing much of our time in the Dominican Republic. Kylie served as interpreter, project manager, and tour guide, and became a great friend to us all. On our first day, after we familiarized ourselves with the beach, Kylie escorted our group to the work site closer to the capital of Santo Domingo. We spent the first afternoon preparing work stations and organizing drops, glasses, and toys for the kids.
On Monday morning, our group met at 8:00 AM to begin our day. We made the short trip to our work site and were greeted by a nice crowd of people. After breaking into our stations of entrance testing, retinoscopy/refraction, and pathology, we began our work under the direction of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna-Maria Baglieri and Dr. Devina Patel. We worked hard that first day, breaking only for a short lunch, and helping each other when stations got backed up. We treated 150 (we saw approx 225 patients the 1st day), a respectable number for a group our size. Over the next four days, however, we picked up the pace. Word had spread, with the help of radio advertisements and news reporters, that American doctors were giving free eye exams and glasses. Each morning we were met with more and more patients, some waiting since 5 in the morning. We accommodated this increased need for care by working harder and more efficiently, and by the end of the fifth day, we had treated over 1,300 patients. That was more than the larger SVOSH-NECO group saw last year (we’re competitive!) and a number we were proud of.
Under the instruction of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna Maria Baglieri, and Dr. Devina Patel, all of the students were able to improve their ophthalmoscopy and retinoscopy skills, and learned to use hand-held equipment like slit lamps and tonometers. We are also able to practice speaking Spanish, a skill that was invaluable in this setting, and will be very helpful in any optometry setting in the future. The common findings we encountered daily included presbyopic refractive errors, cataracts(mild to severe), and pterygia. We were exposed to interesting cases as well, including sclerocornea, retinitis pigmentosa, hypertensive retinopathy, toxoplasmosis, advanced glaucoma, optic atropy, epiretinal membranes, proliferative diabetic retinopathy ocular prosthesis, trauma related ocular findings, and high refractive errors. We were also able to give something to almost every patient, whether it be medications, artificial tears, prescription glasses, sunglasses, or a toy. For special cases, when we didn’t have the necessary prescription for a patient, we took the patient’s information so we can have lenses specially made and sent to them.
For most of us, this trip was our first time to the Dominican Republic, and for some, their first time leaving the United States. Although the trip is mostly aimed at providing eye care for the people of the Dominican Republic, we also wanted it to be a cultural experience for our group. On our last day, Kylie took us into the capital of Santo Domingo, into a slum (barrios) where the most impoverished people live. She introduced us to her friend and his family, who graciously accepted us into their small home, borrowing chairs from neighbors so we could all sit, and offering us a beverage as to be a good host. It was amazing to see how proud and kind these people could be, while living with so little. It was an experience that made us all rethink the way we live our own lives and to question what is most important to us. The rest of the day was spent exploring Santo Domingo, eating empanadas, and taking in some sun on the beach, a well-deserved break after a long week of hard work.
While packing our things to return to the U.S., we reflected on the week. We had accomplished so much in such a short time, and with a smaller group. We had made personal connections with many patients and volunteers. We saw cases we may never see again in our lives, and we improved our clinical skills. We also learned about a way of life that made us appreciate how fortunate we are to live where we do. We were proud for accomplishing so much and happy we were able to help so many patients in need, but we were also thankful for such a unique learning experience, both optometricaly and culturally.