#AMIGOS Student VOSH

[pacificuoptometry]

AMIGOS take on Cambodia

One of the most active organizations at Pacific University College of Optometry is AMIGOS, our SVOSH chapter. Over the course of the year AMIGOS have the opportunity to participate in several mission trips providing eye care all over the world. PUCO is fortunate to boast one of the most active SVOSH chapters across all optometry schools, and currently offers seven trips for students to participate in throughout the year! AMIGOS members can choose to participate in one of the four spring break trips to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru or a new local trip that will provide eye care to migrant workers in Eastern Oregon. PUCO students can also choose to go serve in Guatemala or Belize over the summer. Motivated students can choose to forgo most of their Winter Break and provide eye care in either Cambodia or Tanzania! The following post is going to describe what it was like to attend the winter break trip to Cambodia!

Cambodia

Team Cambodia consisted of 3 attending doctors, 1 optician and 6 optometry students (4 third year students and two second year students).

Due to unexpected snow—yes, SNOW—in the Portland area most of the team was delayed in arriving in Cambodia. In fact, the 4 fourth year students, attending doctor and optician ending up getting stuck in San Francisco and then again in Beijing (for over 28 hours!) before going on to Thailand and finally arriving in Cambodia.

The two-second year students and remaining doctors were able to complete a day of clinic in their absence in Phnom Penh. The team in Cambodia joined with Sabai Vision for the day of clinic and the team got to see some patients with keratoconus and traumatic injuries.

The next day the entire team was reunited and journeyed to Pursat, Province to provide eye care.

The WHOLE team headed off to Pursat Province

The first night of clinic in Pursat the team worked until it was dark out. The team was able to see almost all of the patients in need. It was a very humbling day as many of the patients waited for over 6 hours for the AMIGOS team to arrive. This timeframe was exacerbated due to the flight delays and the travel time it took to get to the region from Phnom Penh.

Dispensing glasses in Pursat

Translators helping out

The following day the team moved clinic sites to a local high school in Pursat. There the team was able to see some students and young children in need of care, some of whom had very high prescriptions making them essentially blind without glasses. Local high school students helped the AMIGOS with translation throughout the day of clinic. The team was also blessed by having volunteers from Building Bridges with Children nearby to help with translation and to volunteer with them.

Translators

Sunglasses

Getting organized

We also got to practice a lot of the skills we learn at school including acuity testing, direct ophthalmoscopy, retinoscopy and dispensing!

Retinoscopy

Acuity station

Dispensing station

At the end of the day Building Bridges for Children (BBC), a local non-profit organization emphasizing the importance of education in the area thanked the AMIGOS team for providing eye care to the community. BBC is essential in rebuilding Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s wiped out a large portion of the population particularly the educated individuals of Cambodia. As a result of the Khmer Rouge regime there is a stigma against education in the nation and against objects associated with being a scholar, such as glasses. The team was very thankful to have been a part of the clinic days in Pursat and to be part of a movement to change this thought process. The AMIGOS team gave out over 250+ sunglasses to children and countless others to adults to protect their eyes from the strong sun in the region. Additionally, the team was able to see roughly 350 patients and provide glasses and eye drops to them to aid in conditions like dry eye and to prevent harm from the UV rays of the sun, which can cause pterygia, cataracts and pingueculae.

BBC and the Governor of Pursat

The fearless trip leaders!

The founder of BBC (on the left) and Governor of Pursat province (on the right) awarding the team plaques for their service and efforts in promoting eye care!

The last day involved setting up and training staff on an autorefractor, an instrument used to read the prescription in glasses, and a slit lamp, the main piece of equipment used to diagnose eye related health conditions and assess the health of the back of the eye. AMIGOS were proud not only to be able to train staff on these pieces of equipment, but to be able to donate the equipment to the cause. Overall, the people of Cambodia and their endearing personalities touched everyone.

Angkor Wat

Tuk Tuk ride

While the team worked hard during their time in Cambodia, they also had time to explore and see the country. Along the way they were able to take many “tuk tuks” what the locals call their taxi service. They were able to go to several markets in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and visit many of the temples found in the country, including the famed Angkor Wat! And of course all the students made time to reflect on the ruthless past of Cambodia by visiting the genocide museum and/or the killing fields; reminders of a past that still scars many of the people there today. Cambodia touched all of the lives of everyone on the team and AMIGOS hopes that the work there will continue into the future!

Written by Ashley Wing, second-year student at Pacific University College of Optometry.  wing0559@pacificu.edu