Himalayan Cataract Project E-News: February 2011Here you will find news on our latest international eye care activities. This month’s newsletter includes:
- High-volume cataract workshop in Ethiopia
- HCP Board Member Dr. Litwin in India – The future of eye banking
- Microscopes for two Nepalese eye hospitals
- BBC documentary features HCP outreach in Nepal
- Construction progress in Ghana
- HCP and medical diplomacy
- WHO releases new blindness data
- Fundraising events:
- HCP “Night for African Sight” fundraiser at Snowbird on February 26th
- HCP Co-Founder Geoff Tabin speaks at fundraiser in Santa Monica
- Event at the University of Vermont
- The San Francisco Marathon
High-volume cataract workshop in Ethiopia | 
Dr. Tilahun performs phaco-surgery as Drs. Parke and Imperia observe.
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HCP Affiliated Ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Imperia returned to Quiha Zonal Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia, with a small team to work with local ophthalmologist Dr. Tilahun Kiros and to assist in a high-volume cataract workshop. Approximately 300 manual small incision cataract surgeries were provided. A major focus of the visit was phacoemulsifiation training for Dr. Tilahun. HCP is working with Dr. Tilahun and the teaching hospital at Mekelle University to further develop the training program.
“I had an extraordinary experience in Ethiopia, from learning and performing small incision cataract surgery to participating in the education of the very talented and dedicated team at Quiha Hospital. My exposure to such a different setting for ophthalmic care was priceless in my own growth as a physician. I believe that HCP's impact in northern Ethiopia is profound and will be enduring.” — Dr. Wilkin Parke III, a third-year ophthalmology resident from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami Eye banking in West Bengal, India | 
Dr. Subrha Sil, the 15-year-old cornea patient, Judith Litwin and Dr. Asim Sil light the votive oil lamp honoring the 25 people whose eyes were donated by the families who make up the audience.
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HCP Board Member Dr. Richard Litwin visited the HCP-supported Vivekananda Eye Hospital in West Bengal, India. Dr. Litwin reports:
“In the last nine months 45 eyes have been collected from local hospitals with the aid of a newly hired grief councilor and most were implanted with good results. Many are for fungal ulcers in farmers. Both the Himalayan Cataract Project and the Seva Foundation have nurtured this project but the main financial support and the driving force for this project has been local. All this has happened in an isolated rural eye hospital in a poor farming area several hours by car south of Calcutta.”
Together, Dr. Litwin and HCP have arranged for Dr. Subrha to visit the Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City to further her training. She is also scheduled to present the story of the rural eye bank at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting and at a seminar in Calcutta for local ophthalmologists. HCP has been supporting eye care in India since 2003, including eye banking. Microscopes provided for two Nepalese eye hospitalsHCP provided surgical microscopes for two partner eye hospitals in Nepal: Geta Eye Hospital in Dhangadhi in the far west of Nepal, and Janakpur Zonal Hospital in the east. According to HCP Co-Director Dr. Sanduk Ruit, part of HCP’s unique approach is its ability to provide remote villages with sophisticated technology to provide high-quality ophthalmic care equal to that of the United States. BBC airs documentary featuring HCP in NepalOn Friday, February 10, the BBC aired a documentary on the “Human Planet” program highlighting an outreach event in Nepal. Since the program was broadcast, HCP has received an influx of emails and donations from the UK. Here is a sample of the comments:
“I have just watched 'Human Planet' on the BBC and it included a piece on the work undertaken by Dr. Ruit and his colleagues. I was so moved that I made an immediate search for you on Google, so that I could write to you and offer some humble words of support. I believe what you do to be one of he most compassionate and worthy practices I have ever witnessed.” Construction progress in GhanaHCP and medical diplomacyThe Himalayan Cataract Project was first contacted in mid-2009 by a US military colonel who was interested in HCP’s training model. He was intrigued by the emphasis on teaching and training at the local level and felt that the model aligned well with a parallel shift in the military’s medical outreach work. As a starting point, HCP and the US military worked with the Ministry of Health in Trinidad to identify two local ophthalmologists who would pursue cataract training in Nepal. The training took place in March 2010. Dr. Tabin is currently in Trinidad to follow up with the training. See a related article in Trinidad & Tobego’s Newsday. WHO releases new blindness dataThe World Health Organization (WHO) recently released data to indicate that the prevalence of visual impairment has been significantly reduced to 285 million. Of these, 246 million have moderate to severe visual impairment, while an estimated 39 million are blind.
This reduction reflects the investment of governments and their international development partners in improving eye health services and strategies. Socioeconomic developments have also contributed in many countries to these welcome trends.
Key Global Facts
- A total of 285 million people are visually impaired, of these 39 million are blind
- 246 million have moderate to severe visual impairment
- 63% of those with low vision and 82% of blind people are over 50 years of age
For more information visit the WHO website. HCP Fundraising Events“Night for African Sight” fundraiser at Snowbird on February 26thThe John A. Moran Eye Center, in partnership with the Himalayan Cataract Project, will present "A Night for African Sight" on Saturday, February 26, 2011, hosted by Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Utah. The dinner and auction event will feature three highly accomplished mountaineers: Dr. Geoff Tabin, Neal Beidleman and Timmy O'Neill.
More information is available at the Moran Eye Center website and also in this Salt Lake Tribune news feature. HCP Co-Founder Geoffrey Tabin attends fundraiser in Santa MonicaIn early February, Dr. Tabin spoke at two events in Santa Monica, California. At a dinner for over 30 attendees at the law offices of Bryan Cave LLP, Dr. Tabin described how he came to appreciate the Nepalese people, his decision to shift from sports medicine to ophthalmology, and the beginning of his partnership with HCP’s Co-Founder and Co-Director, Dr. Sanduk Ruit. The dinner was attended by Andy Doraiswamy, the R&D Manager for Advanced Vision Science who raised $2,800 by climbing the world’s seven highest peaks (see January newsletter). Together the two events raised more than $8,000. Earlier that day, Dr. Tabin spoke to the student body of Rolling Hills Preparatory School. Fundraiser at UVM raises awareness and money for blindness in Nepal | | 
HCP's Marie Gakuba speaks to the crowd.
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The University of Vermont hosted a student-organized and student-attended fundraiser on February 10 and raised $700. UVM student Kenly Flanigan organized the fundraiser and spoke about her experience trekking in Nepal, where she first learned about HCP. She then introduced Burlington, Vt., resident Ongyel Sherpa, who described his connection to HCP. Ongyel’s family houses HCP visitors in Kathmandu, Nepal. Finally, HCP’s Marie Gakuba discussed HCP work in Nepal and Sub-Saharan Africa. HCP is an Affiliated Sponsor of the San Francisco MarathonHCP has become a charity sponsor of the San Francisco Marathon to raise awareness for preventable blindness in the developing world and is currently recruiting runners interested in joining our team. Full and half marathon slots are available. If you are interested, please email HCP Project Manager Pam Clapp at pclapp@[remove this text]cureblindness.org.
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Dr. Tabin and a patient in India.
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The Himalayan Cataract Project works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness through high quality ophthalmic care, education and the establishment of a world-class eye care infrastructure.
Please visit our Web site at www.cureblindness.org to keep up with the latest HCP news. There you will also find information on HCP’s finances, its founders, staff and board members, and ways that you can give the gift of sight.
Remember, through the Himalayan Cataract Project it takes a gift of only $20 to provide life-changing cataract surgery to someone struggling with blindness in the developing world. |
