Ophthalmologists head to Haiti to provide eye care

February 26, 2010

The earthquake in Haiti has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals and left many people in need of medical attention and supplies.

Two eye care doctors are planning to take a weeklong excursion to the devastated nation to offer free consultations on eye health and to treat individuals who need medical attention, according to the Columbia Tribune.

Jacob Brubaker and James Fox will be arriving in the country with more than 700 pairs of donated eyeglasses to give to individuals who are in need. They will be based in a medical clinic outside of Port-au-Prince, and will also make excursions to rural areas.

The doctors know it won't be easy to brave the devastation, but they feel they have to help.

"We anticipate a lot of infections; we anticipate some trauma that is residual," Fox told the news provider. "We know there is one medical student, a young woman, who basically had a brick fall on her face and has still not received eye care for her injuries."

According to the American Optometric Association, individuals should seek an eye care exam every other year until the age of 40, at which point they should schedule annual exams.