Eyeworld

UPDATE 11 by Susan MacDonald, MD, ASCRS Foundation International Committee, and Julia Donaldson, ASCRS Foundation Coordinator ASCRS member discusses how new volunteers can prepare to do international charitable work R ichard Litwin, MD, cau- tions other ophthalmol- ogists about a major risk associated with human- itarian eye care: "It's addic- tive." Dr. Litwin was first hooked af- ter he demonstrated to a local doctor in south India a PC IOL procedure. That surgery resulted in the patient, a carpenter by trade, returning to gainful employment, and made clear to both doctors how powerful the gift of sight can be. Thirty-six years ASCRS Foundation: How do you think the programs you have volun- teered with have had an impact? Dr. Litwin: In 1982, I introduced posterior chamber implants to Dr. Venkataswamy at the Aravind Eye Hospital in South India. Aurolab, the factory they built to make IOLs at prices affordable in India, now makes 10% of all the world's implants, and Aravind is the largest eye hospital complex in the world. Later I worked with Dr. Sanduk Ruit introducing IOLs in Nepal and used them in high mountain eye camps. With the Fred Hollows Foundation, Dr. Ruit has also built a factory to produce IOLs. ASCRS Foundation: What part of volunteering do you find most rewarding? Dr. Litwin: Making close friends with ophthalmologists from around the world. Twelve years ago, we initiated an eye bank and corneal transplant service at the Vivekanan- da Hospital in Haldia, and we now vacation in India every year with Subrha and Asim Sil, the Haldia doctors, and their son Jisu, who now runs an additional large Vivekanan- da hospital outside of Kolkata. ASCRS Foundation: What part of volunteering do you find most challenging? Dr. Litwin: The challenge at age 82 is staying healthy enough to travel and visit eye hospitals all over India. ASCRS Foundation: Do you have any advice for a surgeon interested in beginning humanitarian eye care work? Dr. Litwin: Do it! It's exciting and enlarges your view of the world and your place in it. But watch out—it's addictive. To follow in Dr. Litwin's footsteps and begin your volunteer journey, visit www.ascrsfoundation.org/ volunteer. EW Contact information Donaldson: jdonaldson@ascrs.org Litwin: rlitwin@mac.com MacDonald: dannytom@prodigy.net Spotlight on a sight giver: Richard Litwin, MD Dr. Litwin and Dr. Venkataswamy screen for cataract. Source: Richard Litwin, MD after that first trip, Dr. Litwin is still committed to helping educate and advocate for improved access to eye care worldwide. Like many doctors providing humanitarian care, Dr. Litwin's work followed a familiar arc, beginning with hands-on work, followed by a shift toward educating others. He began with high-volume cataract surgery mission trips to Nepal and India. Later, he came to realize he could be even more effective if he focused on instructing local doc- tors on how to perform these vital procedures themselves. During that time, Dr. Litwin worked with the World Health Organization to design and launch what has become perhaps the most effective ophthal- mic training program in the world, the Aravind Eye Care System. He has now shifted his focus to diplomacy, specifically advocating internation- ally on behalf of humanitarian eye care organizations. ASCRS Foundation: Is there a particular patient or trip that stands out? Dr. Litwin: Yes, witnessing my first eye camp in Pondicherry, India. In a few days I saw a thousand patients cured of cataract by Dr. Ven- kataswamy. I saw the good that an ophthalmologist can do in an area devoid of doctors. I was hooked.

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