The Visionary Fall 2009

The Visionary – Fall 2009 • Page 7 The National Optometric Student Association (NOSA), representing the NSU College of Optometry, provided hundreds of individuals with eye exams in the parishes of Kingston and St. Mary, Jamaica, in June 2009. Vision health care examinations were implemented to screen individuals for refractive errors, presbyopia, and glaucoma, which are some of the more prominent conditions that lead to poor vision and blindness in the Jamaican population. With support from NSUCO and the Fort Lauderdale Lions Club, NOSA’s optometry team was able to provide the necessary spectacles and therapeutic treatments to individuals with poor quality vision, thus improving and preserving their vision health. NOSA optometry team volunteers included Dr. Smith Blanc (resident class of 2010), Bupathi Dissanayake (class of 2011), Thanh Thao Ho (class of 2012), Steven Klein (class of 2012), Aria Murphy (class of 2010), Magdalena Saint- Louis (class of 2010), Denise Saunders (class of 2012), Somayah Semati (class of 2012), and Jimmy Yang (class of 2010). They helped to provide comprehensive eye examinations to children and adults under the supervision of Dr. Greg Black (resident ’97), Dr. Noel Henry (’01), and Dr. Sherrol Reynolds (’96, resident ’97). A wide range of stages concerning retinopathy conditions were observed in individuals who have diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension, and vascular occlusions. The patients received educational information in regard to their conditions, and most were referred to the NSU osteopathic medicine and pharmacy teams for evaluation and therapeutic treatment. In Jamaica, there is a high prevalence of poor vision and blindness due to ocular and systemic diseases that are not being treated. This is a result of the inadequate access to standard health care in impoverished communities on the island. For the past decade, Paula Anderson-Worts, D.O, associate professor of family medicine at NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, has organized medical mission teams consisting of students, instructors, and practicing health professionals with the purpose of providing standard health care to the communities of Kingston and St. Mary. These mission teams, which feature over 100 volunteers, incorporate individuals from the NSU Health Professions Division colleges of optometry, osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, and allied health and nursing. Due to the joint effort among the various health professions, the 2009 medical mission trip was a success. The interdisciplinary teams succeeded in providing optometric exams to communities in Jamaica that usually have little access to these types of services. In addition, previous health care mission team participants reestablished relationships with former patients, who were grateful to see them again this year. They showed their appreciation by offering gifts of homegrown produce such as sugar canes, pineapples, mangos, and coconuts, and by simply saying thanks with a warm smile and a hug. The trip to Jamaica was enjoyed by all who participated, including those who partook in the fun outings to Ocho Rios at Dunn’s River Falls and Mystic Mountain Park, which offered lifts above beautiful green landscapes, ziplining among the trees, and bobsledding down a grassy hillside. The trip concluded with a banquet held at a beautiful resort on the final night to acknowledge everyone who contributed to the success of the health care mission efforts and show gratitude to each volunteer with a certificate of appreciation. NOSA Provides Vision Health Care for Jamaicans By Sherrol Reynolds, O.D., FAAO Assistant Professor of Optometry and NOSA Faculty Adviser OD4 Magdalena Saint-Louis and OD3 Denise Saunders Pictured from left are Thanh Thao Ho (class of 2012), Steven Klein (class of 2012), Dr. Sherrol Reynolds (class of 1996), Magdalena Saint-Louis (class of 2010), and Aria Murphy (class of 2010).