MORE THAN 7,000 children and elderly persons in St. Thomas recently benefited from four days of free eye care, courtesy of the Vision Care Organisation based in Alberta, Canada.
The visit of the eye team was organised by the St. Thomas Lions Club Movement.
Leader of the six-man medical team, Dr. Bob Earlandson, told The Gleaner that over the four days, 1,996 children were examined and treated, while 5,444 adults accessed similar services.
The group provided 307 pairs of eye glasses, while an additional 129 pairs of glasses is to be sent from Canada later this year for individuals diagnosed with eye problems and are in need of glasses. The exercise was done at a cost of just under $1 million, raised by the Canadians through fund-raising ventures.
The Canadian contingent also intends to provide further assistance by using the fully equipped eye clinic at the Princess Margaret Hospital, which has for years been under-used due to the absence of an eye specialist.
Dr. Earlandson told The Gleaner that his team was willing to work alongside the staff at the hospital.
"We would certainly love to help," he said. "Since the facility is already here, we have patients here who need surgery, and we have the facility in which to work, I don't see why we couldn't get the specialists down here to do some work", Dr. Earlandson said.
He said many patients seen had cataract and other eye-related problems that need surgery and proper eye care, but many could not afford it.
