The eye care volunteers fond the Samoan people to be “warm and wonderful and very appreciative of the help we could provide. Unfortunately, we ultimately ran out of glasses, medicine, and time.”Dr. Ikeda stated, “I would like to thank the hundreds of my patients and friends who donated eyeglasses to this cause. I’d like to give a special thank you to Jim Austin and Henry Carrillo of the Fillmore Lions Club, who showed up at my doorstep with one very large bag of glasses. Perhaps with your support in the future, Mike and I will be able to participate again in the optometry missions to Samoa.”
Kevin Ikeda, O.D., son Michael participate in eye care mission to Western Samoa
August 14, 2002
Santa Paula News
At the end of June this year, Kevin Ikeda, O.D. and son Michael participated in an eye care mission to Western Samoa. They joined four optometrists and 20 support staff from the U.S. and Canada in an organization called VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity). Together, they examined nearly 3,000 people in a country where eye care is practically nonexistent.
At the end of June this year, Kevin Ikeda, O.D. and son Michael participated in an eye care mission to Western Samoa. They joined four optometrists and 20 support staff from the U.S. and Canada in an organization called VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity). Together, they examined nearly 3,000 people in a country where eye care is practically nonexistent.The entire nation of Samoa has only two overloaded eye doctors and, until this year, no facilities to make eyeglasses. Only the most affluent can afford to travel 1,800 miles away to the nearest clinic in New Zealand to have their eye care needs fulfilled.So many of the people seen by the VOSH group were blind from one of two common problems. The most prevalent problem was the growth of a tissue over the eye called a pterygium. This can be easily removed when it is small, but left untreated, completely covers the eye. The other condition is the development of cataracts, which is the opacification of the crystalline lens in the eye. Samoa is located near the equator, where the ultraviolet light is intense all year long and the majority of people live off the land, spending their lives outdoors fishing and growing their own food. Using something as simple as sunglasses would help prevent these problems from occurring, but sunglasses are rarely available to Samoans.
