SVOSH-NECO 2016
Batey Municipal District at Sabana Grande de Boyá,
Monte Plata Province
April 8-15, 2016
Having volunteered dedicatedly for the past three years and with the hard work of Dr. Bina Patel, we were ready. The New England College of Optometry (NECO) third year class was finally able to go on our long awaited VOSH mission trip! On April 8th, the New England College of Optometry (NECO) chapter of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) traveled successfully to the Dominican Republic to provide eye care to an underserved community with the help of Batey Relief Alliance (BRA). The trip, lasting 8 days, was nothing short of an eye opening experience. Under the guidance of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna Maria Baglieri, Dr. Kathy Horn and Dr. Mina Sehizadeh, our group of twenty-one optometry students was able to see approximately 800 patients.
Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, DR we were greeted by Denise the program coordinator liason at BRA, Dr. Ana Celia Carrero the project coordinator, as well as Julio our very knowledgeable driver. Batey Relief Alliance is an organization that works to improve socioeconomic conditions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Peru, and they were in charge of organizing much of our time in the Dominican Republic. Denise served as an 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, we spent the rest of the afternoon preparing work stations and organizing drops, glasses, and toys for the kids.
On day 1 of clinic, we encountered a minor space issues that limited our ability to provide care to all of the attending patients. Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved by local community leaders and as a group, we quickly picked up the pace. We were still able to see over 120 patients by the end of that day. For the remainder of the trip, we were exposed to many diseases and conditions. It was like an optometry boot camp: active toxoplasmosis one minute, end-stage glaucoma another, retinal detachments, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, high refractive errors… all in a day’s work! Antibiotics, allergy medications, glaucoma medications and steroid eye drops were dispensed as needed. Reading and distance glasses, sunglasses and artificial tears were also dispensed. For complex prescriptions, patients selected a frame, measurements were taken, and patients were told to expect their custom glasses within 6-8 weeks.
On this year’s trip, we were fortunate enough to have two fluent Spanish-speaking students that taught us enough Spanish to communicate through an eye exam. We were also provided with two on-site translators who were immensely helpful when we needed to educate patients more effectively.
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, Julio took us into the capital, Santo Domingo, to see the historical and beautiful sites that the Dominican offers beyond the beaches. It was a truly memorable and educational trip for us all.
With the help of a multitude of donors and volunteers, including the Lions Club and a generous boy scout troop, we provided every patient in need with glasses, medications, and toys. Batey Relief Alliance allowed us to deliver care for these communities and provided us with interpreters, project managers, tour guides, and on-site lunch and snacks every day.
Words cannot describe the emotions experienced when we helped patients to put on the trial frames with the correct prescription, and witnessing their faces light up. With those lenses, they can clearly see the examiner’s face, they can read, they can look over and see their families’ faces for the first time in a long time. In the midst of multiple language barriers, the patients’ smiles were enough to make every effort taken to attend the trip worth it. When reflecting back on the trip, it is truly amazing how we were able to provide full eye care with such limited resources and equipment. We are very thankful as a whole to have been given this opportunity and we pray that we are able to continue these trips in the future.
Batey Municipal District at Sabana Grande de Boyá,
Monte Plata Province
April 8-15, 2016
Having volunteered dedicatedly for the past three years and with the hard work of Dr. Bina Patel, we were ready. The New England College of Optometry (NECO) third year class was finally able to go on our long awaited VOSH mission trip! On April 8th, the New England College of Optometry (NECO) chapter of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) traveled successfully to the Dominican Republic to provide eye care to an underserved community with the help of Batey Relief Alliance (BRA). The trip, lasting 8 days, was nothing short of an eye opening experience. Under the guidance of Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Anna Maria Baglieri, Dr. Kathy Horn and Dr. Mina Sehizadeh, our group of twenty-one optometry students was able to see approximately 800 patients.
Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, DR we were greeted by Denise the program coordinator liason at BRA, Dr. Ana Celia Carrero the project coordinator, as well as Julio our very knowledgeable driver. Batey Relief Alliance is an organization that works to improve socioeconomic conditions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Peru, and they were in charge of organizing much of our time in the Dominican Republic. Denise served as an 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, we spent the rest of the afternoon preparing work stations and organizing drops, glasses, and toys for the kids.
On day 1 of clinic, we encountered a minor space issues that limited our ability to provide care to all of the attending patients. Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved by local community leaders and as a group, we quickly picked up the pace. We were still able to see over 120 patients by the end of that day. For the remainder of the trip, we were exposed to many diseases and conditions. It was like an optometry boot camp: active toxoplasmosis one minute, end-stage glaucoma another, retinal detachments, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, high refractive errors… all in a day’s work! Antibiotics, allergy medications, glaucoma medications and steroid eye drops were dispensed as needed. Reading and distance glasses, sunglasses and artificial tears were also dispensed. For complex prescriptions, patients selected a frame, measurements were taken, and patients were told to expect their custom glasses within 6-8 weeks.
On this year’s trip, we were fortunate enough to have two fluent Spanish-speaking students that taught us enough Spanish to communicate through an eye exam. We were also provided with two on-site translators who were immensely helpful when we needed to educate patients more effectively.
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, Julio took us into the capital, Santo Domingo, to see the historical and beautiful sites that the Dominican offers beyond the beaches. It was a truly memorable and educational trip for us all.
With the help of a multitude of donors and volunteers, including the Lions Club and a generous boy scout troop, we provided every patient in need with glasses, medications, and toys. Batey Relief Alliance allowed us to deliver care for these communities and provided us with interpreters, project managers, tour guides, and on-site lunch and snacks every day.
Words cannot describe the emotions experienced when we helped patients to put on the trial frames with the correct prescription, and witnessing their faces light up. With those lenses, they can clearly see the examiner’s face, they can read, they can look over and see their families’ faces for the first time in a long time. In the midst of multiple language barriers, the patients’ smiles were enough to make every effort taken to attend the trip worth it. When reflecting back on the trip, it is truly amazing how we were able to provide full eye care with such limited resources and equipment. We are very thankful as a whole to have been given this opportunity and we pray that we are able to continue these trips in the future.