Earlier this month Doug Fredrick, MD, director of pediatric ophthalmology at UCSF Children's' Hospital, joined a medical mission to Vietnam, sponsored by the non-governmental vision care organization ORBIS.
Fredrick's week-long visit will have lifelong effects for the dozens of children he treated while there for conditions that are treated easily in developed countries like the United States.
But the missions are not just intended to treat or prevent visual problems among the nation's youngest residents, including cataracts, glaucoma, trachoma and retinopathy of prematurity. They save lives, Fredrick said.
"Blindness in childhood is a life-threatening condition in emerging nations, clearly," Fredrick said. "Being a blind child not only decreases your life expectancy by about 40 to 50 years, but also really commits the family to stasis in any chance of economic advancement.
"The chances of living a full life expectancy are greatly diminished in a developing country when you're blind, because of many things," Fredrick said. "You often don't have access to other medical care. It puts you at much greater risk for trauma, and it makes you dependent on a family member. So if the family is destitute and poor, simple basic needs cannot be met."
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Doug Fredrick |
Fredrick travels with ORBIS nearly every year, either as part of a hospital-based program in country or with the organization's Flying Eye Hospital. In addition to treating patients, he teaches state-of-the art diagnosis and treatment methods to the country's own ophthalmologists. Earlier missions have included Burma, Vietnam and Trinidad.
Fredrick had nothing but praise for the commitment and dedication of the Vietnamese ophthalmologists who he trained who struggle daily with poor remuneration and a lack of basic resources.
"The physicians there are extremely dedicated and committed to the care of their patients, particularly the physicians who deal with children.
"I just got an e-mail from one of my trainees who screened 30 babies in the nursery (with retinopathy of prematurity), 10 who needed laser therapy. She has to do that therapy at night because that's when anesthesia is available to do these surgeries.
"Her remuneration for doing these cases will be between $2 and $5 each," Fredrick said. "It's her dedication and commitment to these 10 kids who, had she not seen them and treated them, would probably go blind."
Photo/PJ Saine
Related Links:
Audio slideshow: Giving Sight to the Blind: Children's Hospital Pediatric Ophthalmologist Treats Patients in Vietnam
Flying Eye Hospital Aids World's Poor
Associated Press, October 20, 2006
Flying Eye Hospital Visits Vietnam for First Time
ORBIS
