TWECS 2024: Catanduanes, Philippines

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March 1, 2024 Update from Vy Dinh.🤗❤️🙏🏽

Every day as the bus neared the clinic site, I could see multiple long lines of people outside waiting to be registered for an eye check. As a final year optometry student from Australia, with just 1 year of supervised clinical experience, the initial days of the mission felt like being thrown into the deep end. In an environment lacking modern testing equipment, I was forced to become proficient at rudimentary optometric skills such as retinoscopy refraction and direct ophthalmoscopy. My classmate, Leo Ho, became adept at visualizing the retina swiftly with just a direct ophthalmoscope and a 20D BIO lens. We were both very fortunate to work alongside well-seasoned optometrists who provided invaluable support and mentorship whenever we needed clarification or advice on patients’ cases.

Every day on the mission felt surreal. We examined hundreds of pairs of eyes, conveying vital information to patients with the aid of Filipino translators. Amidst the long hours and seeing a waiting room that is always brimming with patients from early morning to late afternoon, there were moments where I felt too exhausted to continue. Yet, witnessing the unwavering stamina of fellow TWECS members, whether they were measuring visual acuities, triaging patients, conducting specialist tests, or dispensing glasses, provided the motivation to persevere until the last patient was seen.

Once the day had ended, the stories shared around the dinner table were nothing short of remarkable. Volunteers recounted instances of patients breaking down in tears upon receiving glasses that granted them clear vision for the first time in their lives, enabling them to pursue work or education. Even the expressions of relief and gratitude from patients upon learning that their eyes were healthy served as a poignant reminder of the profound impact of our mission on people’s lives. Though we began as 27 strangers who lived continents apart from Brazil, Australia, USA, and Canada, it was truly extraordinary how we came together to contribute to one ambitious yet indispensable goal.

Feb. 28, 2024

Our time has come to head home.

Leanne Bird:

This is a typical 30 minutes in Triage.

Here, Optometrists will dilate those with poor vision and send them to autorefractor station and special testing for further subjective refraction and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy.

If they had fair to good vision the Optometrists would do retinoscopy and ophthalmoscopy and send them to dispensing for reading glasses if needed.

All the patients will have to go through triage.

#twecs_voshbc #voshinternational

Feb. 26, 2024

Dr. Marina Roma-March:

These people will warm your hearts💕 They have so little and ask for nothing.

Too many stories to tell, but seeing patients cry when they see clearly for the first time makes every ache in my body worth it.

We worked 8 long, exhausting days – we’re tired, dirty, and hot, but would do it again without hesitation.

Will never forget the sweetest man completely blind in one eye and needed -18.00 in his other eye (“inch thick lens”) – he had never had an eye exam. Gave him his glasses and he started crying😭

I was able to fit another lady who was blind due to retinal disease with a pair of low vision telescopic lenses. She was able to see for the first time in ages – talk about hugs!!

Near the end of one clinic day, and I was hot and tired, I examined a young girl who needed -10.00 – she had never had any correction! She teared up when I gave her glasses to her – it was so worth every minute.

Hundreds more stories just like these. We saw about 5500 patients and dispensed around 4500 eyeglasses. Always donate your old eyeglasses – people around the world need them!

Edit: for those wishing to donate eyeglasses – if your optometrist doesn’t collect them, give them to me and I will get them to the organization.

Feb. 26, 2024

Blog by Jocelyn Wan

This is my first time joining TWECS mission project. It’s incredible to see so many people in need of eyeglasses that they could not afford. They lined up at 6:00 am , no matter how tired I was early in the morning, but seeing them waited for us to come had made me so energized.

In day 6, we had registered for about 4,000 patients. There’s one patient said to me “I love you and God bless” after received her eyeglasses.

I witnessed patients with their smiley faces after receiving the eyeglasses and able to reduce their vision from 20/400 to 20/30 , that totally change their lives.

“Changing the world is a journey. There is no middle and no end. There is only a beginning—and it starts with us.”, quoted from Dr Patti Hill.

#WeServe together with doctors, optometrists , other volunteers and local translators to make a better quality of life. It’s absolutely a rewarding and memorable experience especially celebrating my birthday with people who have the same passion for this project.

Feedback from a patient the message was sent to TWECS Facebook

Good day Mam/Sir, I am one of the patients that you have helped today ☺️ I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued hard work and dedication for your mission.

I felt so overwhelmed because the last time I’ve got my eye check up was year 2016, and so my eyeglasses are already 7 years old last year.

It happened that I just need first to fulfill my family’s and child’s needs, that’s why I always disregard my own needs, even though I know that I needed an eye check up, and a new eyeglasses.

I appreciate your positive attitude and your willingness to go the extra mile. I am grateful for all the things that you do for the poor, indigent, breadwinners people like me. Thank you so much, and God bless you always 🙏❤️☺️

Feb. 24, 2024