September 7, 2010

Toluca Mexico – Day 2 Clinic

By msigg

Today was our second day of clinic.  We were able to help 901 people, we made 39 medical referrals for additional care, and we made 13 chabellas.

Chabellas are glasses that are made on-site to perfectly match a recipient’s prescription.  We bring hundreds of frames that are the same size/shape as well as over 1,000 lenses of varying strength.  The target recipient for a chebella is someone whose prescription falls outside of the acceptable limits of what we have in inventory.

We saw several great stories as there were more recipients with strong prescriptions today.

Randy & Todd, two of our doctors, saw a woman who was 12-14 diopters myopic (near-sighted) never having had glasses.  She could essentially not see clearly past 4 inches in front of her face.  When they dispensed the glasses the woman’s face immediately lit up – she was so happy that she would be able to see her grandchildren for the first time!  Several people on our team were able to spend some time asking her questions.  Raul, one of our team members who is able to also act as a translator, was translating for a while.  Due to the intensity of the situation and the overwhelming emotions (brought about by the amazing story about how she would be able to enjoy her grandchildren and everyone else in her life) he had to step away and bring in another translator.

Carol and Mike were able to dispense a pair of high minus glasses (-9) to a woman in her 60s who had also never had glasses.  She was immediately able to see more clearly and ‘passed’ the eye chart.  Unfortunately her bus was leaving before we could capture more of her story – but her life will be changed forever now that she can see!

These are just some of the reasons why OneSight develops partnerships across the globe and supports 30-40 clinics each year – so we can help the world see more clearly.

Today's Wikipedia Toluca Facts:  Toluca is one of the most industrialized and prosperous cities in Mexico – there are many factories, hospitals, universities, athletic events, and cultural venues.  Toluca has the best taxi system in the world: over 5,000 taxis for a city of about half a million. Just walk to any major street and wave at a passing taxi.

Remember to click on today’s title (“Toluca Mexico – Day 2 Clinic”) in order to see some of the pictures from today.

Nancy Gehlken (Pearle Vision) helps a patient on the auto-refractor (initial Rx reading).
Giuliano Da Ronch (Italy) helps a patient on the auto-refractor (initial Rx reading).
Diana De Boer (Holland) helps a patient on the auto-refractor (initial Rx reading).
Top Row (left to right): (pictured but not standing w/ group - Shannon Elwood, OD Target Optical); Robson Bignami; Victor Quach (Optometry Student); Randy Edwards, OD, Todd McDowell, OD; Hal Learman, OD (Pearle Vision); Jim Hancock, OD. Middle Row: Laura Ebbert (Opt Student); NancyGehlken; Sally Wilcox (John Gray); Lan Le. Bottom: Denise James; Delicia Pirie; Mary (one of our translators from Mexico); Doug McFadden; Cinzia Gaiga (Italy); & Carol Fan, OD (LensCrafters).
This room includes: Auto-refraction, Dr Exam, & Rx Selection.

7 Comments

  1. Christine says:

    Hi Team Mexico, thanks for the bolg updates, reading it is the first thing we do in mornings here at Sunglass Hut Cape Town. Delicia, I hope you keep a diary, we want to hear EVERYTHING when you get back home. Have a good time.

    Posted on Wed Sep 8, 2010 1:21 am EST

  2. Douglas says:

    Thank you so much for posting this blog.
    It gives us relatives the feeling of being there with you all.
    We’re very proud of you and the wonderful work you’re doing. Best wishes to all.

    Posted on Wed Sep 8, 2010 9:34 am EST

  3. Barb Longo says:

    Hello Mike and Team Mexico!
    I’ve enjoyed reading about the exciting happenings each day, and especially the photographs.  Keep them coming!  Keep up the great work - we’ll be following along every step of the way.

    Posted on Wed Sep 8, 2010 5:11 pm EST

  4. Carolyn Rebelo says:

    Hey Lan,

    You guys looks great, thank you for being their to help all those receipients. Look forward to seeing your pics when you return home.

    All the best,
    Carolyn and all your friends in Canada

    Posted on Wed Sep 8, 2010 10:13 pm EST

  5. Elisa P says:

    Hi
    First of all Thanks so much for being here in Mexico again , ive been part of the volunteers team several times and i would love to participate again , please contact me so i can get in touch with you and help you out again , i love to be part of your team ....thanks so much

    Posted on Wed Sep 8, 2010 11:21 pm EST

  6. Lan says:

    Mike,
    Thank you so much for taking the time to share our stories and experiences with our friends and family. We all know it takes alot of time and effort and we appreciate it.

    Posted on Thu Sep 9, 2010 11:14 pm EST

  7. Lan says:

    Hello Everyone,

    It has been 4 tiring but very rewarding days for all of us. It is amazing to see how we all get together and worked so well as a team. Every single person on the team have worked so hard, including all the volunteers. We wouldn’t have been able to do what we do without all the hard working volunteers. Thank you to all of you for the amazing experiences so far.

    Posted on Thu Sep 9, 2010 11:22 pm EST

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