Surgery

VOSO ophthalmologists and theatre nurses travel to the local hospital or clinic to offer their skill and expertise, often working alongside the locally based nurses and doctors.
The main operation performed by the VOSO teams is cataract  surgery. A cataract is when the lens in the eye goes cloudy and when densest it is a white lens and the person is blind. This surgery is life changing. 
VOSO ophthalmologists may also be able to offer an opinion on what is wrong with someone's eyes and arrange further treatment in New Zealand.

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Vision / Glasses

VOSO targets communities which have poor access to eye health. In these communities there is often no optometrist in the area or sometimes even in the country! If there is an optometrist locally they serve a community many times larger than what they are able to care for and is too expensive for a large portion of these poor islanders.
Part of the VOSO teams are optometrists who perform eye screening programs, eye health checks, and dispensing appropriate glasses and sunglasses. Any patients who require surgical intervention, such as those with cataracts, are noted and passed on to the surgical part of the team. The optometrist teams are able to travel
out to isolated villages to provide outreach clinics for villagers who cannot travel to main centers. A pair of optometrists may see well over 100 people per day!
The glasses and sunglasses which the optometry teams dispense are usually donated by Kiwis who drop their glasses to their local optometrist. These glasses are then collected by a local Lions club and transported to either the Papakura, Ferrymead or Karori Lions who wash, measure and sort them to send on a VOSO trip.
The glasses can be used to help locals read again sometimes for the first time in years. The sunglasses help to protect villagers eyes from UV light from the harsh Pacific sun to reduce the risk of pterygiums and cataracts which can both cause blindness.

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Liasing with locals

VOSO teams work with local staff and communities to ensure all in need receive 
their help. Our doctors also help local nurses in diabetic photo screening and offer advice in the management of difficult cases.

VOSO volunteers strongly support Pacific Institute trained staff working locally and work in a colleagial manner to provide the best possible eyecare for the peoples of the Pacific.