Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 22 May 2017 the U.S. or another source coun- try. While working in Shenyang, China, as a volunteer with Orbis last September, I recommended that the partner hospital apply for ISR's SEEson's Gift of Sight Campaign, which provides free corneas to coun- tries with insufficient eye banking. The hospital was chosen to receive up to 50 gratis [free] corneas, thus I returned to Shenyang in January to help them transplant the donated corneas." Through the generosity of sur- geons like Drs. Aldave and Narváez and the availability of donor tissue through global networks, people all over the world have been able to regain their sight. This import- ant work will continue, along with efforts to build and strengthen eye banking practices abroad to elimi- nate corneal blindness. EW Reference 1. Oliva MS, et al. Turning the tide of corneal blindness. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2012;60: 423–7. Contact information Aldave: aldave@jsei.ucla.edu Narváez: narvaezjd@gmail.com sight to hard-to-reach populations in the developing world." "I had a patient in Belize in his 30s who lost his vision in one eye due to glaucoma and also had advanced uncontrolled glaucoma in the other," Dr. Narváez recalled. "With his intraocular pressure in the mid-30s, I felt he was sure to lose vision in that eye, too. I implanted a tube shunt donated by New World Medical and a scleral patch graft from Vision Share. The patient's sight was saved. I have kept in touch with his local optometrist, who tells me he continues to do well." Dr. Aldave has had similar ex- periences. "In many countries, there is no corneal tissue or nowhere near what is needed to meet the demand. Many times, when I am volunteer- ing abroad, donor tissue comes from are beyond the reach of virtually everyone," Dr. Narváez said. Dr. Narváez travels with his own equipment, instruments, and a team of about eight people aiming to provide the same level of care he provides at home in California. Most supplies are donated by nonprofit organizations and pharmaceutical and device manufacturers. The team performs a range of procedures, such as cataract surgery, pterygium exci- sions and tube shunts for patients who have local follow up. For these patients, donated work and materials are the only hope. "Our ultimate mission is to eliminate treatable corneal blind- ness, which we achieve by contin- ually building and strengthening a large global network of non-profit eye banks focused on education and clinical excellence," explained Vi- sion Share president and CEO Philip Waitzman. "We distribute tissue to where it is needed in the United States or abroad. The exceptional mission work of partnering physi- cians like Dr. Aldave, Dr. Narváez, and many others enable us to go even farther, delivering the gift of Tissue continued from page 20 " Our ultimate mission is to eliminate treatable corneal blindness, which we achieve by continually building and strengthening a large global network of non-profit eye banks focused on education and clinical excellence. " —Philip Waitzman, CEO

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