Third World Eyecare trip to Nicaragua

Bringing Clear Vision to Nicaragua – by Dr. Trevor Miranda

The world health organization has identified uncorrected refractive error as the leading cause of blindness worldwide.  For those folks, a simple pair of glasses will restore their vision but due to lack of access to eye care and poverty those sight giving glasses are unattainable.  I was fortunate to be part of a team, Third World Eyecare, that recently went to Nicaragua to provide eye exams and glasses to those in need.  The Third World Eyecare Society ‘TWECS’ is made up of a group of optometrists and opticians.  We travelled to the Chinendega area of Nicaragua on November 17 and returned on November 29. 

A patient would arrive at the clinic in the middle of the night.  They would stand in line for about 8 hours in eager anticipation of their first ever visit to an Optometrist.  At around 8:00am the majority of our team would head out in the crowd and start the registration process.  Every person would receive a form that would be used for entrance to the clinic.  On the form we would record the patients name, age, basic medical issues, any issues with vision and their occupation.  With this form they would then proceed to the Visual Acuities or V.A. station.  Here the patient’s ability to see near and far would be quantified.  This is the test you will recall from your Optometrists office; the chart with the large letters on top diminishing to the smallest letters on the bottom.  There was a slight difference to this test in Nicaragua.  Due to the high illiteracy rate with many older people, letters could not be used, so the test consisted of symbols that pointed up, down, left and right.  It was amazing to be able to quantify vision with a simple test and only a few words.  Next, the patient would enter the Red Cross Headquarters for further testing.  A quick test with an auto-refractor (AR) was used to determine the next step.  The AR is an instrument that can determine an individuals prescription.  This is a very rough measurement, but it quickly determines the focus of further visual testing.  After AR, patients would go to one of three stations for further examination to check the health of the eyes, to refine the prescription, and to be counselled on any visual issues they may have.  After the patient had the prescription in hand they would proceed to the dispensing area.  This is where the TWECS (Third World Eyecare Society) magic can really be seen.  The dispensing team would take the Doctors prescription and find the appropriate glasses out of the 10,000 pairs that were packed from Canada.  Once these glasses were placed on the faces of many visiting the clinic, a whole new world was revealed.  Most had never had glasses before.  Many had never seen further than their hand so needless to say the reactions from many were priceless.  They ranged from a smile, to patients breaking down in tears.  One little boy was actually frightened to see the real world.  From dispensing, the patients would fill out an exit survey with the help of interpreters and be on their way home to enjoy their new life with vision.

This was a monumental trip for all those involved and I for one will be travelling with this group again. 

I am also putting out a plea for help.  If you have an old pair of glasses, please donate them.  If you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, make a donation to the amazing work that TWECS does in someone’s name.  Visit www.twecs.ca for more information.  Special thanks to the Rotary Club of South Cowichan for their support in purchasing equipment for the TWECS trip.