Colette Kinsella
The National Sales Manager for General Optical, Colette Kinsella, recently returned from a life changing trip to Sri Lanka where she worked as a volunteer with the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) alongside a team of volunteer optometrists. The team screened 4,999 patients for eye problems and dispensed 3,878 pairs of glasses.
ICEE’s program in Sri Lanka was the first project to receive funding from Optometry Giving Sight (Optometry Giving Sight).
The following is a personal account from Colette on her recent work in Sri Lanka:
I am very passionate about the cause and since the launch of ICEE I have wanted to go along and assist in any capacity with the Optometry team. Although I’m not an Optometrist, my attitude and sense of fun were a great combination for this fabulous, most unique and rewarding trip of my life.
Annie Weymouth, in the
tea fields of Sri Lanka.
We were a great team, Annie Weymouth, Rebecca O’Loughlin and Anna Morse. Each morning we were taken to the clinic, which we transformed from the local maternity hospital into the Eye Clinic. On arrival every morning we were greeted by at least 100 people patiently waiting to see us, many who had walked for several hours to see the ‘Eye Doctor’. They dressed in their best sari or trousers and shirts and many had no shoes. Tea plantation workers continually arrived and around 300 people were screened each day.
Tickets were issued to each person at registration and then a brief history taken by the local doctor before moving onto visual acuity testing by the efficient local staff who worked tirelessly with us. Finally, they eagerly awaited the volunteer optometrists, or the ‘Eye Doctors’ as they were called, who were the focus of much curiosity!
We proceeded to test the eyes of hundreds of patients / workers daily and we saw first-hand the lives of these individuals, aged 3 to 100 years old, change before us. THEY COULD SEE! Some for the first time EVER, others regained sight that had been lost simply by not having access to a pair of glasses. The tea workers were also screened for ocular infections, cataracts and other diseases.
Sri Lankans are very humble people, and responded to their new glasses with gummy smiles, hands pressed together as if in prayer and the word ‘Vannakum’ – ‘thank you’. Many also wanted to kiss my hands and feet in appreciation; it was very emotional to see the reaction of these people. They would look at their hands and keep staring not fully comprehending what was happening. One woman cried and said she would be able to see her husband for the first time in years.
For most people we were the first eye care professionals they’d ever met let alone received glasses from. Every day was memorable - to make a difference to the lives of these desperately poor people was a sobering experience.
It is absolutely crucial to train the local staff so we can move away and leave the locals to carry on the work that ICEE and Optometry Giving Sight has started. Giving glasses is simply the first step, but to maintain their eyesight is imperative, especially for young children.
