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VOSH-ONE Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of New England Winter/Spring 2009-2010
VOSH-ONE to provide funding for twoeye care projects in Af ghanistan Meet our newVOSH-ONE
leader Dr. Lee Lerner of Waltham, MA,
assumed the two-year position of
president of VOSH-ONE at our April
meeting, held at the New England
College of Optometry (NECO) in
Boston. Dr. Lerner is a graduate of the
University of Pennsylvania and the
New England College of Optometry.
Dr. Lerner began volunteering with
VOSH when he was an optometry
student at NECO. Upon graduating,
he moved to New Jersey to begin
practicing optometry. Despite the
demands of a new position, Dr. Lerner
took the time to participate in a
VOSH trip to Mexico. The team
included several NECO students, as
well as first-time VOSHer Dr. Leon
Ginsburg of Waltham, MA who was
getting ready to retire. It was a
serendipitous trip in more ways thanone since Dr. Lerner wound up pur-
chasing Dr. Ginsburg’s practice a year
later and
returning
to the MA
area.
During
the past
15 years,
Dr.
Lerner
has
devoted
himself to
develop-
ing his Waltham practice. Still, he has
managed to participate in 8 other
VOSH trips, serving in Mexico, The
Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
During these clinics, Dr. Lerner has
served on teams with students from
the New England College of
Dr. Tom Little screening a patient
By Dr. Bina Patel,
Faculty Coordinator, SVOSH-ONE,
New England College of Optometry
At our October, 2009 meeting, the
VOSH-ONE board agreed to provide
partial funding of $8,300 to support two
eyecare projects in Afghanistan submit-
ted by Dr. Tom Little, a 2008 graduate of
the New England College of Optometry.
Total needed to complete the projects
is $15,000. We are exploring means of helping Dr. Little raise the rest of the
monies needed for these worthwhile ini-
tiatives that will provide sustainable eye
care, and have a longterm impact on eye
care delivery in this country which has
been so ravaged by political turmoil,
poverty and war.
The first project is to establish a day
eye care clinic program in Nangahar
province, located along the Pakistan bor-
der. Nangahar is a major agricultural
area and has a population of approxi-
mately 5 million. Even in the main city
of Jalalabad, curative services are mini-
mal and expensive; in rural regions they
are virtually non-existent.
The second project is to establish a
mid-level Ophthalmic Training Program
to train primary care eye professionals to
work in rural and underserved areas of
the country where there are no eyecare
services at present.
Dr. Little is part of a large and compre-
hensive countrywide ophthalmic project
known as the NOOR/IAM Eye Program.See www.iam-afghanistan.org . His main
job (as is the case of other expatriots at
NOOR) is to train nationals and to facili-
tate their being able to provide eye care
to their own people.
Please turn to page 6
Dr. Lerner presents outgoing president Dr. Derek Feifke a
plaque of appreciation.
Student VOSH-ONE serves locally By Nicole Ross, President, SVOSH-ONE
Our student VOSH-ONE group contin-
ues to help provide eyecare services to
the needy around the Bostonarea. This year alone we have
participated in fifteen commu-
nity health fairs and vision
screenings. In addition, as of a
few months ago, we have been
providing comprehensive eye
examinations in conjunction
with Tufts Medical School, at
their free healthcare clinic
named Sharewood. This service began
after several years of providing screen-
ings to patients.
Sharewood offers unscheduled care to
the medically underserved populations of
the greater Boston area.Located in the recreation
area of the First Church of
Malden, the clinic operates
Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:00
PM. Sharewood is staffed by
volunteer physicians, med-
ical students, other health
profession students, and
translators. The clinic pro-
vides clinical, case management and lab-
Nicole Ross, SVOSH
president (r) and Allison
Stickl, vice-president
Please turn to page 6 Please turn to page 7
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VOSH-ONE BOARD
Dr. Lee Lerner , President
Derek Feifke, Imm. Past-President
Dr. Chris Fields, Vice-President
Dr. Bina Patel, Secretary
Dr. Jennifer D’Amico, Membership
Dr. Joseph D’Amico, Treasurer
STATE AND OTHER DIRECTORS:
Dr. Monya Elgart, CT Director,
Dr. James Luccio, MA Co-Director
Dr. Karen Koumjian , MA Co-Director
Dr. Niru Aggarwal, ME Director
Dr. Jay Jordan , NH Director,
Dr. Jenifer Ambler , VT Director,
Bina Patel, OD, NECO Faculty
Coordinatior, SVOSH-ONE,
Nicole Ross , SVOSH-ONE president,
Sally Howe, Paraoptometric Director
Zabelle D’Amico, Newsletter Editor
VOSH-ONE is a chapter of VOSH/
INTERNATIONAL. The organization is
dedicated to the preservation of human
sight, mainly in developing countries
where there is no welfare system.
VOSH-ONE accomplishes its goals
through its own missions or by assisting
other groups with the same purpose.
Page 2 VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010
From our VOSH-ONE president’s desk...
ABOVE: Dr. Lee Lerner (center) flanked by (L-r) Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Harry Zeltzer and third-
year NECO optometry students Nicole Ross and Iris Miller at the VOSH/INTERNATIONAL
Annual Meeting held in Orlando, FL on November 15.
I began my two-year stint as president of VOSH-ONE with a meeting in October,
at the New England College of Optometry in Boston. We had our biggest turnout
ever, with many regulars and a lot of new faces, punctuated by some new ideas and a
willingness to get involved.
We were especially pleased to be able to interact with students from all four classes
at the school as well as recent graduates. When we started our chapter of VOSH near-
ly 15 years ago, one goal was to have better communication between all NewEngland optometrists and students involved with charity eye care. I can’t help but
feel we have made great strides toward that goal.
As you can see by the varied articles in this newsletter, both VOSH/INTERNA-
TIONAL and VOSH-ONE have evolved significantly through the years. It started out
with a great mission of visiting underserved areas of the world for a week or two and
providing eye exams, medicines and glasses to thousands of needy people. While that
remains an important aspect of our work, we are also committed to establishing per-
manent clinics in areas that are underserved. Towards this goal, we have also gotten
involved with training local people to provide eye care services.
Our annual meeting of VOSH/INTERNATIONAL took place on Sunday,
November 15. VOSH-ONE was well-represented. I requested additional funding
and/or equipment for Dr. Little’s project proposals in Afghanistan (See related article page 1). Nicole Ross asked for financial assistance to allow SVOSH-ONE to expand
its services with the Sharewood Free Clinic ( Her report begins on page 1). We’re
proud to note that Dr. Patel and Dr. Zeltzer (pictured above), are both current mem-
bers of the V/I Board. After we made Chapter reports and requests, several more
speakers talked about VOSH projects in China, Alabama and Nicaragua, as well as
training programs underway around the globe.
There’s a lot going on; your help is needed and wanted. Perhaps you have no inter-
est in traveling abroad. Your continued membership and/or donation is in itself a
huge contribution to our efforts. Renewal notices will be in the mail shortly. New
members are always welcome.
To those of you who have been saying that you want to participate in a VOSH trip,
there is no time like now. There are no age limits or educational requirements.Anyone willing to work is welcome. It’s so easy to make excuses, but it is much
more rewarding to actually participate. Contact me at [email protected].
And, have you thought about donating your not-so-old equipment in good condi-
tion, frames or uncut lenses? Perhaps you have other items you’re wondering if we
can use. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected].
In closing, I’d like to take a moment to thank all current members for the work you
have been doing; to everyone else - please get involved. It will change your life and
the lives of so many needy people around the globe – in ways you can never imagine.
Dr. Lee Lerner, President, VOSH-ONE
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VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010 Page 3
Please share this newsletter with your patients and friends. Encourage them
to find out more by turning to our Chapter website: www.VOSH-ONE.org
and our parent organization website: www.VOSH.org
Recent/Upcoming
VOSH-ONE trips Please don’t hesitate to inquire about taking
part in a VOSH-ONE eyecare clinic. If these
dates or sites, don’t work for you, go to
www.VOSH.org for information regarding
additional VOSH trips scheduled by other
Chapters.
n Jenifer Ambler, OD, of Vermont continues as leader of the eyecare section
of a combined eye/dental care team
known more affectionately as the “Sight
and Bite” group. Dr. Ambler’s team has
been active in Suchitoto and Apopa, El
Salvador, since the early 1990s. Return
dates were November 7 - 14, 2009. See e-
mail she posted from Apopa, page 8.
For future participation, Contact:
n Jay Jordan, OD, and a small teamheaded for Granada, Nicaragua,
November 13-23, 2009. For future partic-
ipation, contact [email protected]
n From January12-22, 2010, facultymembers and a team of students from the
New England College of Optometry will
return to the Bluefields area of Nicaragua
to work with Bob Peck, program coordi-
nator of a team of Williams College stu-
dents. Contact: [email protected]
n A group of ODs will assist a multi-disciplinary medical mission
(ASAPROSAR) when it returns to Santa
Ana and San Miguel, El Salvador, in late
January, 2010. Contact:
n Joe D’Amico, OD, will lead a small team to the area of El Castillo,
Nicaragua, from February 27 to March 6,
2010. Contact [email protected]
n SVOSH-ONE, the student VOSH
group at the New England College of Optometry, is planning a student trip dur-
ing spring break, April 10-18, 2010.
Faculty Advisor is Bina Patel, OD.
Contact: [email protected] or student
leader [email protected]
Two cases that stood out by Chris Fields,OD
Dr. Chris Fields has been committed to bringing eyecare services to Nicaragua for a number
of years. The report he filed when he returned home this past February included some spe-
cific stories including these two.
One man stood in line for hours with perfect vision and no eye health problems.
His eyes did not tear and itch (the most common thing we hear). He did not have
blurry vision. Instead, he explained that he repairs watches and hoped we could
help him to see the small parts. Remembering that we had some surgical loupesdonated a few years ago, I explained that I might have just what he needed.
I dug through my box of low vision aids and
brought him a loupe. His face was aglow with
excitement! Looking through the loupe, he real-
ized that the focal distance was too far away for
him. “Un momento,” I told him as I went to look
somewhere else. As I walked out of the tent, I
turned around to see him sitting in his plastic
chair on the dirt floor of the black plastic and
cardboard tent in which we were working. His
head was down and his fingers were intertwined,
praying that I would return with something thatworked. Indeed, I did find another pair and sent him off to the dispensary to have
them fitted. He left grinning like a child experiencing his first Christmas.
* * * * *
A father and three small boys arrived
mid afternoon. The oldest child, age 7,
was in a baby stroller. Rosbin was born
with hydrocephalus – water on the brain –
making his head abnormally large and
leaving him physically disabled. The
father gently and lovingly lifted him out
of the stroller and sat down in front of me.
Rosbin cannot hear or speak or moveindependently. After a few questions, it
was clear that this father wanted to know
only if his son could see anything.
I examined his eyes and tested his prescription. Taking the trial lenses out of the
case, I held them in front of Rosbin’s eyes. His searching nystagmus ended as he
fixated on the face of the person standing next to me and smiled. I explained to the
father that I could not test the level of his vision, but yes, he could obviously see.
In the dispensary, Rosbin was fitted with a frame so that glasses could be made for
him back in the States. He will be able to see the loving faces around him.
* * * * *
I wear a handwoven necklace every day. It was tied by a 13-year-old boy I meton the sidewalk in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Every morning as I see this neck-
lace, I am reminded of Michael, the young man struggling to make money for his
family, as well as the struggles the people of Nicaragua face every day. I cannot
wait to return next year and do this all over again.
Happy with his new magnifiers
Rosbin and his brothers were delighted wtih the sunglassses they were given after
their exams.
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Page 4 VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010
VOSH-ONE Mission to Antigua,
Guatemala March14 - March 21 2009Concord Academy
Club for VOSH-ONE Alexis Cheney is only sixteen
years old but she is already a veteran
of two VOSH-ONE trips, both under
the watchful tutelage of her mom, Dr.
Karen Koumjian of Watertown, MA.
After
returning
from
Guatemala in
late winter,
Alexis was
fired up to do
more, so she
sent out a call
to classmates
at Concord
Academy
through a clubexpo held at
the school. Alexis was so enthusiastic
that she managed to get more than
fifty of them interested in forming a
club to support the work of VOSH-
ONE.
Alexis has brainstormed a lengthy
potential list of activities, including
organizing eyeglasses, books and
related equipment drives, learning
lensometry, sorting and classifying
prescriptions on donated glasses,raising awareness of VOSH-ONE,
creating educational pamphlets, hold-
ing fundraisers for defraying the cost
of VOSH service trips, and possibly
even making it possible for a group
of students to take part in a VOSH
trip. Alexis and her team are now
getting 2010 plans for the fledgling
organization underway.
The longterm impact of Alexis’s
efforts may well be affected by her
own schedule. Come next semester,
Alexis will be studying in New York;
then she’ll be off to college. Still, the
fact that Alexis is so willing and
excited to assume a leadership role in
getting a group up and running for
the future with so little time to do it
in, says a lot about what VOSH has
meant to Alexis, and it is a testimoni-
al to her vision for the future.
Way to go, Alexis!
Alexis Cheney assists a
Guatemalan woman in
the dispensary.
by Derek Feifke OD,
VOSH-ONE Trip Leader
Sixteen VOSH vol-
unteers traveled to
Antigua, Guatemala,
from March 14 to 21,2009. The team includ-
ed ODs Derek Feifke,
Joe D’Amico, Jennifer
D’Amico, Timothy
O’Connor,Karen
Koumjian and Jim
Luccio along with Aline
Luccio, RDO and 7 ancillary helpers.
Martha Julia and Stephen Sellers of
Lexington facilitated logistical arrange-
ments in Guatemala and worked tireless-
ly alongside us each day. Mrs. Sellers is
a native Guatemalan. The couple owns ahome in Pastores, Guatemala.
Clinics were held in the surrounding
communities of Pastores, San Bartolo,
Vuelta Grande (in the scenic hills at
about 7000 feet above sea level), Sta.
Maria de Jesus, San Bartolomeo/ Milpas
Altas, and at the local Lions Clinic in the
beautiful town of Antigua.
We examined approximately 1,000
patients and dispensed
about 1,600 pairs of eye-
glasses. The prescriptionsrequired were a mix of
both hyperopic and pres-
byopic corrections as well
as an unusually high
number of myopic and
astigmatic corrections.
Fortunately, we had a
large selection of eye-
glasses with us and in
most cases were able to
fill prescriptions.
Regarding prescriptionswe were unable to pro-
vide on site, sixty-three
pairs of eyeglasses were
fabricated in the US and
were delivered to the vari-
ous clinics and patients by
Martha Julia and Stephen when they
returned to Guatemala in June.
Regarding pathology, we encountered
patients with cataracts, infectious dis-
ease, pterygia, aphakia, trauma, glaucoma
and amblyopia. At some clinics we
worked with a local ophthal-
mology resident who compiled
lists of patients who neededreferral. The prospects for treat-
ment for many of these patients
appeared promising. At week’s
end we had a large number of
eyeglasses and eye medications
remaining. These were donated
to three local charities includ-
ing a child care organization,
nursing home and a local
church group who, in conjunc-
tion with physicians, will help
distribute the glasses and eye
drops appropriately.
The trip was a wonderful
success; the highlight of the
week was the clinic at Sta.
Maria de Jesus, with many
powerful moments and “mira-
cles.” We were also able to enjoy much
of the scenic beauty of the area with a
trip to beautiful Lake Atitlan and the
Mayan ruins at Iximche Tecpan. All in all
it was an unforgettable week.
ABOVE: Dr. Jennifer D’Amico
shares a happy moment with an
appreciative teen and her mom.
RIGHT: Optician Alina Luccio set-
ting up the dispensary in Pastores
Checking out his new
glasses and cases
Dr. Derek Feifke fits a child with her new
glasses.
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VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-2010 Page 5
by Wendy Crusberg, OD, VOSH-ONE
In April, 2009, the student chapter of
VOSH-ONE led an optometric mission to
Bogota, Colombia. Four Massachusetts
optometrists and fifteen third-year optom-
etry students from the New England
College of Optometry (NECO) participat-ed in the trip. With the help and support
of the local Colombian optometric associ-
ation, Student VOSH-ONE was able to
provide over one thousand Colombian cit-
izens with free eye health exams, pre-
scription eye glasses, sunglasses, and eye
medication as needed as well as make
referrals to local experts when appropri-
ate.
Over a five-day period, five different
clinic sites were set up in poor areas
south of Bogota,
including Ciudad
Bolivar. During that
time, Student VOSH-
ONE was able to dis-
pense over fifteen
hundred pairs of pre-
scription glasses, one
thousand pairs of
sunglasses, and facil-
itate over ninety-three referrals for fol-
lowup care with local Colombian
optometrists and ophthalmologists.
Advertisement for the location anddates for the free eye health exams was
facilitated via the local newspaper. Video
footage was taken of the U.S.
Ambassador in Colombia, Mr. William
Brownfield, visiting one of the clinic sites
and was aired on local Colombian news
networks to promote the mission.
We saw approxi-
mately two hundred
patients for each day
of clinic. Optometry
students and doctors
from La Salle
University of Bogotaalso accompanied
Student VOSH-ONE
to the clinic sites.
They aided in per-
forming refractions
and served as transla-
tors as needed.
Many of the
patients seen had been
displaced from their
homes due to the vio-
lence and political conflict
taking place outside of the
city of Bogota.
Presentations of ocular
complications due to trau-
ma were not uncommon.
Overall, a wide variety of
ocular conditions were
observed. These included
pterygia, eye infec-
tions, cataracts,
strabismus, corneal
dystrophies, and anassortment of ocular
injuries. Highly
astigmatic refractive
errors were com-
mon, with hyper-
opia being more prevalent than myopia.
Sixty-five patients required custom lenses
to be made to correct their refractive
error. These specialty lenses will be made by the locals and provided to these
patients.
The Student VOSH-ONE mission to
Bogota, Colombia was a great success.
The local Colombian optometric associa-
tion was extremely hospitable to the
Student VOSH-ONE group and the
patients seen were very
appreciative of the care that
was provided them.
The need for medical care
of any kind is high inBogota, and Student VOSH-
ONE and the lcal
Colombian optometric asso-
ciation hope that this mis-
sion will inspire more med-
ical mission trips to Colombia.
Student VOSH trip to Bogota, Colombia, April, 2009
ABOVE: Students Kristin Krummanacher and Alia Khalaf selecting
glasses in the dispensary. BELOW-l: Student Jennie Tran does oph-
thalmoscopy on a youth. BELOW-r: Dr. Aparna Raghuram with a
young Colombian patient.
Dr. Joel Hayden of Mansfield, MA wanted to do something to help others less fortunate so he came up with the idea of an
in-office donation program. For every complete pair of glasses sold in his optometric office, Dr. Hayden now donates another
complete pair of reading glasses, eyeglasses, or sunglasses to someone else in need, somewhere aroundthe globe. Taking it a step further with the encouragement of the VOSH-ONE Board, Dr. Hayden has
agreed to head up a committee to recruit other optometrists to participate in the program.
Dr. Hayden’s project provides an important collaboration for VOSH-ONE because teams are finding it
increasingly costly to fill special prescriptions that must be made back in the US and then sent back to
the town where the clinic was held. Further, high plus and high minus prescriptions continue to increase
in cost. Teams never seem to have enough sunglasses, especially in Central and South America where so
many of the people VOSH serves work long hours under the hot sun in the campos and should be wear-
ing them. We applaud Dr. Hayden’s initiative and welcome his efforts to expand this worthy program.
To learn more, email him at [email protected].
Dr. Hayden’s In-Office Donation Program to benefit VOSH-ONE
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Page 6 VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-20010
Dr. Little puts a mom at ease as he checks
her child.
VOSH-ONE supports two eyecare projects
More funding needed to complete project cycles
Continued from page 1
VOSH-ONE in El Salvador, 2009by Dr. Joseph A. D’Amico, VOSH-ONE
At the end of January, 2009, Dr. Harry Zeltzer and I assisted
ASAPROSAR, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and lay
people who’ve been serving at the same site in Santa Ana, El
Salvador, for some 20 years. Dr. Zeltzer saw patients in a newer
clinic in San Miguel, El Salvador.
I was placed in Santa Ana
where the organization estab-
lished two permanent surgical
suites several years ago.Together, our two teams provided over 150
eye surgeries and more than 3,500 eye examinations over five-days.
In order to assure sanitary conditions, post-surgery patients are housed overnight in dormitory
style accommodations, fed and checked the second day. In addition to providing eye examina-
tions, I did pre-op and post-op work and even translated for one of the young surgeons who did-
n’t know any Spanish.
In March, I traveled to Guatemala with Dr. Derek Feifke and the team he assembled. (See his
report on page 4). This was a totally different type of clinic. We saw patients at a variety of loca-
tions, including high in the mountains, at a local pre-school, an elementary school and at a clinic site.
Above: Pre-op photo of a child
with strabismus
P o s t -o p p a t i e nt s w a i t i n g t o be c he c k e d t he d a y a f t e r s u r g e r y
Initially, Dr. Little trained as an opti-
cian; he also holds a Master’s Degree in
Oriental languages and history. In
Afghanistan he speaks Dari and some
Pushto, the other main language of this
country.
Despite political issues, harsh living
conditions, and having to leave
Afghanistan with his wife and children in
difficult times, Dr.Little found himself
returning to the country he’d come to
consider his home.
Over the years, Dr. Little has trained
persons in manufacturing ophthalmic
pharmaceuticals and in ophthalmic dis-
pensing. He has had considerable experi-
ence in developing screening programs
and delivering eye care, from the com-
munity level to the hospital setting.
In 2008, Dr. Little and his team saw
approximately 270,000 patients, dis-
pensed 30,000 pairs of eyeglasses, pro-
vided training for 11ophthalmologists,
and held day clinics around Kabul and
Jalalabad regularly. In addition, they car-
ried out eight rural education team trips.
His goal is to provide additional train-
ing in this region where eye care profes-
sionals are still lacking. His longterm aim
is to establish an infrastructure of clinics
and providers throughout this countrywhere approximately two-thirds of the
population lives in remote and rural
areas.
For 2010, Dr. Little’s plans are to open
a new teaching hospital in Kabul, for
both ophthalmologists and mid-level pro-
fessionals, establish an ophthalmic hospi-
tal in the Jalalabad region, update the
Bamivan provincial eye department and
start up a small eye hospital in Maimana.
For more information, check our website
or contact [email protected]
New president C ontinued fr om page 1
Optometry, Pacific University College
of Optometry and U. of California atBerkeley College of Optometry. In the
mid-90s he was one of the four founding
members of our Chapter, VOSH-ONE
(formerly VOSH-NECO).
In addition to his VOSH activities, Dr.
Lerner has been active in area Lions
Club activities. He is past-president of
the Waltham Club and currently serves
on their Board of Directors. He is a past-
board member of the District 33K
Eyemobile.
For many years Dr. Lerner has traveledto Chapters around the state to talk about
VOSH activities. Largely through his
efforts, a num ber of Lions Clubs have
made annual donations to VOSH-ONE,
providing considerable financial support
over the years and enabling VOSH-ONE
to better serve the needy in third-world
countries.
Currently, Dr. Lerner serves on the
Waltham Board of Health. He also served
for 5 years on Waltham’s Cable
Television board.
To learn more about us go online:
www.VOSH-ONE.org
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VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter, Spring 2009-20010 Page 7
Two student scholarships to be offered VOSH-ONE has benefitted signifi-
cantly by the dedication, support and
enthusiasm provided by student VOSH-
ONE participants at the New England
College of Optometry. We are proud toannounce that beginning in 2010, we
will be awarding two scholarships annu-
ally, one for a third-year optometry stu-
dent, and one for a fourth-year optome-
try student at the New England College
of Optometry. Each scholarship will be
for $750.
To be eligible, students must submit a
completed application, a current college
transcript, a curriculum vitae, two rec-
ommendations and a completed ques-
tionnaire/essay. Eligibility is also con-
tingent on the student remaining at
NECO the following school year.
Winners will be notified at the end of
March and presentation of the awards
will be made at graduation. Named to
the reviewing committee are Dr. Walter
Potaznick, Dr. Derek Feifke, Dr. Cathy
Coffey, Dr. Andrea Murphy and whoever
is serving as current president of VOSH-
ONE. For further information, contact
Dr. Walter Potaznick:
oratory screening services. All services
are free and open to everyone. For over
three years, the student VOSH group has
been providing vision screenings at the
clinic once a month, under the supervi-
sion of Dr. Michael Ruby.There has been substantial demand to
provide full comprehensive care to this
underserved community. Since the mis-
sion of VOSH has always been to pro-
vide underserved communities with eye
care, there was no better place for us to
establish our first, free, student-run eye
clinic. Aside from the Sharewood pro-
ject, VOSH-ONE has provided care to
approximately 300 individuals from our
local area and assisted them in accessing
Mass Health services.
We have also continued our fundrais-
ing efforts. Thus far we have raised a
significant portion of funds required for
the annual trip (April 10 – 18, 2010) and
we are continuing to fundraise to support
our eyecare clinic at Sharewood.
Fundraising events have included “meet
the upperclassmen,” “grad school
mixer,” raffles, and bake sales. Student
VOSH-One has also received additional
support from the student council and the
New England College of Optometry at
various student event activities.
At the American Academy of
Optometry meeting in Orlando, Florida,
Dr. Wendy Crusberg, past-student
VOSH-ONE president, presented a
poster entitled, “An Aid to Humanitarian
Missions: Analysis of Demographics,
Ocular Disease, and Refractive Status of
Subsets of the Dominican Republic and
Colombia” This report can be viewed at
www.aaopt.org or on our website:
www.VOSH-ONE.org .
Our parent organizationVOSH/INTERNATIONAL held its
annual meeting on Sunday, November
15 in Orlando, FL immediately follow-
ing the American Academy meeting.
The meeting was attended by approxi-
mately 65 people representing various
chapters in the US, Netherlands and
Nigeria. I presented a report on Chapter
activities and on present and future pro-
jects. Included was a proposal for fund-
ing to allow our SVOSH-ONE Chapter
to expand our services at the Sharewood
Free Clinic; it is now under considera-
tion. We need the funds to purchase
additional equipment, and provide con-
tinued maintenance.
Additionally, we are pleased to report
that the tenth year of collaboration with
the Massachusetts Correctional
Institution (MCI) in Norfolk, MA is as
strong as ever. See accompanying arti-
cle, “Prison Recycling Program
update” elsewhere on this page.
Over these past few months the stu-
dent VOSH group has been incredibly
active and although the clinic site has
yet to be chosen, we look forward to a
successful student VOSH-ONE trip in
April 2010.
Student VOSH-ONE serves Boston areaContinued from page 1
Prison Recycling
Project updateWhere to send donations,
how to request recycled
glasses for VOSH trips By Nicole Ross, SVOSH-ONE President
When the VOSH-ONE prison recy-
cling program got underway some ten
years ago, two inmates were trained to
neutralize used glasses with automatic
lensometers, to discard any scratched
or damaged pairs and to organize recy-
cled glasses based on prescription.
More recently, student VOSH-ONE has
been tapped to collaborate with Mike
Devine, Director of Treatment at MCI,
to ensure the two prison volunteers
have enough glasses to spend 2-3 hours
per day neutralizing and to keep the
project going.
Last year Mike was kind enough to
allow a few of us to take a tour of the
facility and assist the men in develop-
ing the best organizational strategy for
the recycled glasses. We are looking
forward to visiting again this year and
bringing along some pictures from the
student mission to Colombia.
Due to limited storage space at the
New England College of Optometry,
Mike has agreed to accept boxes of donated glasses at the institution via
mail or direct delivery. If you have any
donations or recycled glasses that you
would like to send to the prison, please
contact Mike Devine at (508) 660-5900
ext.254 or via e-mail at
Student VOSH-ONE organizes the
collection of the neutralized and sorted
glasses from the prison. We have an
abundance of glasses in our storage
room and we are happy to share. AnyVOSH members planning upcoming
missions in need of recycled glasses
please contact student VOSH-ONE
Vice- President, Allison Stickl, at alli-
[email protected] with a list of
desired Rxs and we will set them aside
for you. Since September we have put
together boxes for a project in
Afghanistan and for the upcoming
Williams College mission to Nicaragua.
8/2/2019 VOSH ONE Newsletter Winter Spring 2009 2010
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Page 8 VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-2010
VOSH-ONE Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of New England
Annual dues, just
$40 Name _ ______ ____________ ______ ____________ ______ ____________ ____
Address _____ ____________ ______ ____________ ______ ____________ ___
City/State/Zip _____________ _____ _____________ ______ ____________ ___
Tel. ( ) _ ____________ ______ _____________ _____ _____________ ___
e-mail _________ ______ ____________ ______ ____________ ______ _______
Be sure your writing is leg ible and don’t forget to l et us know if your email address changes.
Please join VOSH-ONE and help provide the
gift of sight to needy individuals in other coun-tries as well as within our own borders. All
VOSH-ONE members are members of
VOSH/INTERNATIONAL.
Whether you are interested in taking trips,
making a donation, have glasses and equipment
to offer or just want to be informed of our pro-
jects, we value your support. VOSH-ONE is a
501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
T o pa y onl i ne , v i si t our w e b si t e : w
w w .V O S H -O N E .or g or y ou can se nd y our t a x -d e d uct i bl e che ck pa y abl e t o:
V OSH -ON E
J oe D’Amico, T r easur er
PO Box 41
H old en, M A 01520
Enclosed is an additional donation of
$______________ to further the work of
VOSH-ONE .
Dr. Jenifer Ambler and a small team of eye
doctors and dentists were holding clinics in
Apopa, El Salvador, in early November when
a flash flood hit the area. Following is an
excerpt of an e-mail posted by Dr. Ambler on
November 8.
This is the neighborhood of Apopa
which was hit by a flash flood lastnight. It rained hard for 3 hours, and the
waters peaked here
around 2 am. Luckily,
someone heard and saw
the water rising in time
to alert everyone so all
here survived, even if
their homes and posses-
sions suffered. Last we
heard, the death toll for
El Salvador is around
150.
It appears, based onwhere debris was in
trees, that the water
rose in this steep ravine 30 to 40 feet
above the riverbed. Homes at the bot-
VOSHers lend a hand during emergencytom end of the road were totally
destroyed and the debris was buried
under a thick layer of mud. Power lines
were hanging into the road and several
poles were washed into the river, so it
will be some time before electricity is
restored.
Instead of our planned clinic today, wespent the day helping Pastor Francisco.
We took our bus to a big
store for supplies of rice,
beans, cornmeal, chlorine
to purify water, etc. The
church committee is mak-
ing arrangements for some
homeless people to sleep in
the church, and a group is
preparing meals for those
whose food and kitchen
equipment are ruined.
Tomorrow morning we will
stop at a big hardware store
in the city to see about renting or buying
a generator to run the clinic.
ABOVE: Dark area on the wall
near roof line shows the height of
the water from the flash flooding
in this part of Apopa.
Dra. Rosa Elena Bello
honored at SimmonsDra. Rosa Elena Bello, Director of
the Centro de Salud in San Juan del Sur,
Nicaragua, received an honorary doctor-
al degree from Simmons College during
its graduation ceremony in June. While
she was here, a reception was held in
her honor at the Newton home of Dr.
David and Margaret Gullette.
Scores of people who have worked
with Dra. Bello and her brigadistas,
turned out to celebrate this woman’s
succesful collaborations that have
enabled her to make health care ser-
vices, literacy programs and basic com-
puter skills available to so many Nicas
in southern Nicaragua. Shown in the
above photo L-r: Dr. Joseph A.
D’Amico, who led the first VOSH-ONE
(VOSH-NECO) trip to provide eyecare
at Dra. Bello’s clinic in the mid 1990s,
Dra. Rosa Elena Bello, her husbandChepito, and Margaret Gullette.
Margaret’s husband David is a
Simmons faculty member (recently
retired). The couple has been tirelesly
dedicated to assisting Dra. Bello and the
people of this area through the Newton
Sister City Project for many years.
Joint Mission to
Nicaragua in JanuaryWilliams College, in collaboration with
the New England College of Optometry(NECO),will be embarking on their annu-
al eyecare trip to the Atlantic Coast of
Nicaragua from January 12 to 22, 2010.
Williams College faculty advisor is
Bob Peck. NECO faculty member Dr.
Elise Harbe will direct students and other
Boston area optometrists in providing
eyecare to some 3,000 Nicaraguans in
this region. For further information,
