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Vision / GlassesVOSO 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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