Helping the Blind to See Again

Dr. Thompson travelled to St. Louis du Nord, Haiti to aid those blinded by cataracts. In Northwest Haiti, there are no eye doctors. For those Hatians fortunate enough to find work, the average wage is around $0.50 a day. Imagine trying to feed your family and to pay your bills.

Cataracts can be quite debilitating. Due to the southern location of Haiti, they have a higher exposure to ultraviolet radiation that increases the prevalence of cataracts in the population, Abject poverty prevents most Haitians from having access to medical care.

There is no clean public water supply or public electricity in this region of the country. The clinic must provide its own utilities and sewage system. The work done by Larry Owen and the volunteers who have contributed to developing the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission to build and support the facility is truly amazing.

Dr. Thompson joined a team organized by Dr. William White to provide eye care in this remote impoverished area. The patients traveled from miles around for an opportunity to have access to eye care. Cataract surgery seemed like a modern miracle to those in need of the procedure. Other patients received their first pair of eye glasses thank to glasses donations from the Lion's Club. Untreated glaucoma had wreaked havoc on the vision of many local inhabitants. The medical team traveled with donated medicines to treat others who had not lost all of their vision from glaucoma. Donated antibiotics also helped to treat disease.