Friends of ASAPROSAR
2006 Eye Health Campaign in El Salvador
2006 Eye Health Campaign in El Salvador
2006 marked the 18th annual eye clinic campaign in El Salvador. Forty five volunteers arrived at ASAPROSAR in Santa Ana late afternoon on Friday January 27. Rena and Bob Zeller and Joe Bowlds have been to all 18! Al and Helen Gruber have been going to Santa Ana for 20 years but were unable to join the group this year. A number of the volunteers have been with the group 10 years and more.
Mainstays Rena & Bob Zeller, Karen Viskochil and Harry Zeltzer
Entrance to ASAPROSAR campus in Santa Ana
The contents of the container sent down in December had to be sorted and distributed. The OR, refraction lanes and dispensary had to be set up. This was all accomplished Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Setting up the OR
Santa Ana dispensary.
The entire inventory of used glasses was laid out so that about 2,000 glasses added to the computer inventory could be filed to bring the total back to 10,000. Half of the inventory was then separated for the San Miguel clinic.
Once that was accomplished and the truck was loaded mid-Saturday afternoon, 10 volunteers departed for San Miguel.
Gwynn Horsburgh and patient in Santa Ana
The Santa Ana clinic started seeing patients almost at once ---112 patients were examined that day. The OR did 3 surgeries that Saturday.
The San Miguel clinic was set up and started running on Sunday --- both clinics ran through Thursday from 8AM to 6PM and later.
The San Miguel clinic saw a total 814 patients and dispensed 356 used glasses and 253 readers. 65 glasses had to be made.
In Santa Ana, 1020 patients were seen, 400 used glasses were dispensed along with 261 readers. 55 glasses were made.
The OR staff performed 97 surgeries. Most were cataracts but included were pterigium, strabismus and corneal transplant operations.
The raw statistics do not tell the story. San Miguel is an underserved area and many middle aged patients got glasses for the first time. One woman broke into tears as she could see to read.
Post tears
He loved these glasses
Santa Ana also saw its share of poor people with no access to eye care other than ASAPROSAR.
Ophthalmologist Zinaria Williams with happy patient
The OR was the site of extraordinary heroics by pediatric ophthalmologist, O'Ine McCabe and anesthesiologist Ray Smith. They successfully operated on a small malnourished TWO-MONTH-old child with bilateral congenital cataracts.
Ray Smith administering anesthesia to baby
Post op
On Friday the OR and the clinics in both Santa Ana and San Miguel packed up and busses transported everyone to the El Presidente Hotel in San Salvador. Many went shopping and sightseeing while others relaxed around the pool. Later an assessment meeting analyzed the campaign.
Most of the group flew home on Saturday but several stayed on for a beach outing and more sightseeing and shopping.
After five days of hard work, the beach beckoned.
Friends of ASAPROSAR thank all who participated in this year's campaign. All can take satisfaction that nearly 2,000 Salvadorans with no eye care access were helped and many lives were changed.
Penrose, Inc.