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 pay your bills on this salary in the United States.

Cataracts can be quite debilitating. Due to the southern location of Haiti, there is greater exposure to ultraviolet radiation. This increases the prevalence of cataracts in the population. There is also a high prevalence of glaucoma in the population. Abject poverty prevents most Haitians from having access to medical care. Some Haitians only receive medical care during a mission trip visit as there are no specialists in their area.

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 building and developing the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission 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 International. Untreated glaucoma had wreaked havoc on the vision of many local inhabitants. The medical team traveled with donated medicines to help those who had not lost all of their vision from glaucoma. Donated antibiotics helped treat eye diseases.