In October of 2022, the International Pediatric Eye Training (IPET) committee of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council (IPOSC) in conjunction with the International Orthoptic Association’s (IOA) Volunteer Program launched a new orthoptic training program in the Gambia at the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Center and its Regional Ophthalmic Training Program (ROPT). Donations are crucial in supporting the orthoptic training initiative in Gambia, where the scarcity of...

In 2005, the initial directors of the “Casa de Luz” organization http://www.casa-de-luz.com sought a charitable activity as a group effort for interested volunteers, primarily from Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. After extensive research, they decided to team with Island Impact Ministries, an established 501(c)3 charity with facilities and personnel in the Dominican Republic and Haiti http://www.islandimpact.net/Home.html
The goal of Casa de Luz is to provide free surgical...

My IOA volunteer teaching mission to India in November 2013 was an unforgettable and satisfying experience for me. So I immediately agreed when dr Shashikant Shetty, professor of the Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Department of Aravind Eye Hospital & Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology in Madurai (www.aravind.org), asked me to volunteer again.

For the fourth time I joined the “Dominican republic Eye Mission” organized by Island Impact Ministries (www.islandimpact.net) and Casa de la Luz (www.casa-de-luz.com). Our goal is to provide free surgical and medical eye care in the poorest province of the Dominican Republic, primarily for underprivileged children and adults who do not have access to eye medical care.

After 3 missions to the Dominican Republic as an IOA clinical volunteer, I applied in 2012 to be an IOA teaching volunteer. Once accepted I was asked by Cindy Pritchard (director of the IOA Volunteer Program) to volunteer in India. She brought me in contact with dr. P.Vijayalakshmi, chief of the Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Department of Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai (https://aravind.org).

For the third time I joined the “Dominican republic Eye Mission” organized by Island Impact Ministries (www.islandimpact.net) and dr. Kelly Hutcheson of Children’s National Medical Center, Washington DC, USA.
The aim of this mission is to perform eye surgeries (cataract, strabismus, pterygium and eyelids) and to provide glasses and eye care to indigent children and adults of the poorest province of the Dominican Republic.

Last year several Catholic missions within the territory of Burundi (Central Africa), reported a “strange disease” affecting the eyes among their students, for which they requested assistance. The non profit organization “Senator Spagnolli” of the town of Rovereto where I live, responded to this request and gathered together the necessary equipment and supplies for an ophthalmic surgery. Before leaving for Burundi the ophthalmologist and myself collected eyedrops and other essential supplies...

Most of us arrived in Tegusigalpa today, with the exception of Elise whose plane was canceled. Ryan arrived without luggage but everything else went smoothly. We took a tour of the hospital to see where the water filtration systems Jillian raised money to purchased would be placed. We ended our day by traveling to Pespire and having an amazing dinner with the dental team also on a medical mission from Lancaster PA. We travel with 11 pieces of luggage filled with supplies including eye glasses,...

After a successful mission trip in May 2009, I was asked again to participate in the “2010 Casa de Luz Medical and Eye Surgery Mission Trip”, organized by Casa de Luz and Island Impact Ministries. As last year, the goal of the mission was to provide free surgical and medical eye care in the poorest province of the Dominican Republic, primarily for underprivileged children and adults who do not have access to eye medical care.

I was fortunate to participate as an orthoptic instructor/ IOA volunteer in a Basic Science Course that took place at the College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences, King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hospital in Lahore Pakistan from December 7 to December 12, 2009. Lahore is the capitol of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the second largest city of Pakistan after Karachi. Lahore’s population is 7 million people. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world. Rich in...