Eye team last day in Haiti May 12, 2016

Blogger's note:  I apologize that this is being posted as a late entry.  The story of what this incredible team did for the children and staff of St Vincent's is amazing to believe.  The photo of the team is especially poignant because JoJo, who helped them translate for their clinic, died two days after they finished clinic.   None of us knows what the next day will bring!  It is so important to treasure the moments with people we care about.  

Day 4 (Thursday May 12, 2016)

We made our final journey to the school for the last day of clinic this week. I have to admit that the remaining number of individuals in need of an exam that day was a daunting one, as we didn't want to leave without meeting our intended goal of seeing every student at St. Vincent's.

We quickly got to work after arriving as we had done the days before and started examining the six remaining classes of students. Our efficiency noticeably improved as we were able to conduct the exams with better ease. Working through the obvious difference in language (whether French, Haitian Creole or sign language) was less of an obstacle as we picked up key phrases or gestures with help from the students and our interpreters.

Knowing this was our last day, we made time to interact with the students and distribute some of the gifts we brought with us. The bandanas were definitely a huge hit with the students, with many of them lining up and requesting one by gesturing the act of wiping their face. We had plenty of stickers, bubbles, and lollipops to go around and were able to put lots of smiles on the students faces! This was probably my personal highlight of the week, just being able to really meet face to face with the individuals we have the pleasure of serving during the week.

Today was definitely the busiest day of the week, with us working through part of our usual lunch break. I can say with great pleasure that we were able to examine each student that was present during the week as well as many of the administrators, teachers and staff. We saw a total of 197 students and staff today! A complete breakdown of our patient encounters for the entire week is below:

409 patients seen (students and staff)
154 pairs of prescription glasses ordered/dispensed
137 pairs of sunglasses dispensed
5 low vision devices dispensed/ordered
38 ophthalmology referrals
89 patients with identified ocular pathology

Knowing that our team was able to provide a much needed service to many individuals was very rewarding, but what is even more rewarding are the relationships that we have been able to form during the past few days. Many hearts and minds were changed as a result, leaving none of us the same as when we first arrived. For that, we are so thankful to St. Vincent's for allowing us the opportunity to share our gifts through service and very grateful to each individual, who through much preparation, made this trip possible. The experience has been mutually impactful and we hope to meet again. Until next time...au revoir!

Feyi Aworunse

Southern College of Optometry - Day 3 in Haiti

Day 3 (Wednesday, May 11, 2016)

This morning we took a more "scenic" route, to St. Vincent's, with beautiful views of the mountains and a quick peek of the ocean if you looked far enough.

We got to the school just after the start of the Wednesday morning church service for all of the children and students at St. Vincent's. Filled with vibrant songs and prayers, it was obvious that this was the favorite part of the week for many of the children. Our team was welcomed and invited to take part in Communion before the conclusion of the service. Soon after, we greeted many of the students before they were hurried off to class. It was time to get to work..for both us and them!

I spent most of the day doing patient intake with the assistance of Dieumene Clorisin. Now, Dieumene is an amazing young woman. I'll tell you why. The majority of the students we saw today were hard of hearing or completely deaf, relying on communication through sign language. Dieumene was able to communicate effortlessly with the students through sign language using her feet...yes her feet! Dieumene was born was without her upper limbs and relies on the use of her feet or toes. She was once a student at St. Vincent's and now studies English and assists with many of the activities at St. Vincent's.

During our lunch break, Joesph Jean-Paul (who I spoke of earlier this week) took time to show our team some of his artwork. Know if you don't remember, Joseph was born without any limbs but paints with a brush either in his mouth or strapped to his upper arm. His artwork is nothing short of amazing and many of our team members purchased some beautiful paintings.

Today was a busy patient care day, with us seeing over 80 students and staff. A final breakdown will provided tomorrow, since our clinic will conclude then. Each day has been filled with something new or things that are seemingly old hat but you're forced to look at it a different way. That's the beauty of working with these amazing individuals this week. Tomorrowis our last day, in which we will probably work our hardest to ensure every student at St. Vincent's is seen. We are pretty close to achieving that goal and I can't wait to see all those beautiful smiles as a result. Until then! 

Feyi

Eye team at St Vincents Day 2

Day 2 (Tuesday, May 10, 2016)

Today got off to an earlier start but not without experiencing morning rush hour in Port au Prince. We really got a feel for the morning hustle and bustle that takes place within the city! Just before pulling into the gates of St. Vincent, we could hear the children singing and chanting. We were quickly greeted with smiles and waves from the children, eagerly awaiting the chance to have their eyes checked. We quickly set up our equipment and began our work. While yesterday's group appeared to have many students with visual disabilities, today's group of students were mostly physically handicapped or mentally handicapped. Both circumstances presented their own challenges but we continued to be awed by the students and their courage and independence despite their unique situations. Simply amazing!

Today we exceeded our goal (of 80 exams) and saw close to 100 patients! The breakdown of our patient encounters are below.

96 patients seen (students and staff) 

43 pairs of prescription glasses ordered/dispensed

52 pairs of sunglasses dispensed

7 ophthalmology referrals

13 patients with identified ocular pathology

The children and staff of St. Vincent continue to impact us, seemingly more than we think we are impacting them. I know with each passing day, it will become harder to accept that our time here is limited and we will soon have to say goodbye. But, that time has yet to come! We will have to take it day by day. With that said, tomorrow awaits!

Feyi

Eye doctor team visits St Vincent's

We have a team from Southern College of Optometry - SVOSH Eye Care team- working at St Vincent's this week. Feyi is a lead team member and is sending me daily updates about their trip.

Day 1 (Monday, May 9, 2016)

The day got off to a great start beginning with a tour of St. Vincent. We made our way to each of classrooms, with Jean Robert letting the students know that we are here to provide eye exams throughout the week. The students were very excited to see us and we too looked forward to working with them as well. We were given a brief history of St. Vincent Centre and its founder, Sister Joan Margaret. Soon after, we were introduced to Joseph Jean-Paul, who was once a student at Centre and is now on staff, playing an integral role in the centre's day to day functions.

The first group we examined ranged in age from 6 years to 67 years old. The breakdown of patient encounters are below:

47 patients seen (students and staff)
15 pairs of prescription glasses ordered/dispensed
29 pairs of sunglasses dispensed
2 low vision devices were dispensed (magnifiers)
10 ophthalmology referrals
30 patients with identified ocular pathology

Despite a delayed start, we came close to our goal number (50 patients) for the day. We are very excited for the rest of the week and look forward to a great start tomorrow morning!

05/09/16

Feyi