The town of Mandeville in the Central Jamaican Parish of Manchester was slowly stirring to life, but at the Eye Clinic located at the Mandeville Regional Hospital, several persons from across the Parish and beyond had already arrived and were seated in the waiting area. Some hoped to get their eyes tested and others were anxious about the possibility of being approved for a surgical procedure.
On this particular morning some patients, who only 24 hours earlier had cataract surgery, were seated in another section of the Clinic where their bandages were carefully removed from their eyes. For a few minutes their world seemed to standstill and then they beamed with joy.
A Pterygium is a raised, cream colored growth in the corner of the eye. Pterygia are usually caused by dry, hot, windy environments, and are found often on people that spend a lot of time outside. If left untreated it could eventually distort vision due to the fact that they can grow onto the cornea.
This video goes behind the scenes of Pterygium Surgery performed at the Mandeville Regional Hospital, Mandeville, Jamaica.
The Mandeville Regional hospital, located in the central parish of Manchester, is home to an Eye Clinic that serves thousands of Jamaicans from all across the island.
While the Eye Clinic was in existence for several years, it received a much needed boost in 1999 when the Caribbean Council for the Blind (CCB)/Eye Care Caribbean stepped in to initially offer technical support by way of funds for equipment and training.
“I feel like a brand new man”- These were the words of Kenneth Higgins who smiled from ear to ear, twenty four (24) hours after vision was restored to his left eye following cataract surgery.
Higgins, 79, had been down this road before. In April 2010 he had cataract surgery on his right eye and following a successful operation, he immediately knew that he would soon be back to “take care” of his other eye.
So it was that on October 11, 2010, Higgins again travelled from his home in the parish of Clarendon to the Eye Clinic at the Mandeville Regional Hospital located in the neighbouring Parish of Manchester.
HOW CCB-EYE CARE CARIBBEAN HELP GIVE SIGHT TO MORE THAN 4,000 JAMAICANS.
A Case Study of an innovative NGO-Government Partnership for Eye Care.