Guanacaste Nacaome Eye Brigade

The Eye Brigade today was a huge success! Patients ranged from 9 months old to 82 years old and we saw a total of 71 patients. It was a hard day's work in the extreme heat, but we all left feeling we had accomplished a lot.

The transportation, surgery and housing will all be free for the patients. Most patients are extremely poor and live on as little as $2.00 per day. In a country where Public Health Care is the mode these people would never receive surgery because they cannot pull the strings necessary to get a slot in an over-extended and under-funded system.

Thanks to a generous donation from Michael Martin's family we were able to pay all of the expenses for this eye brigade. We identified 12 cataract patients who will receive free surgery late September.

Thanks to COVA and to Victor Montoya and Rolando for helping screen all of the patients.