Fiji with a bag full of magnifiers

October 8, 2018 Naomi Meltzer

A week in Fiji sounds very appealing in mid-winter, but a Volunteer Ophthalmic Services Overseas (VOSO) trip is no picnic in the sun - though there was a bit of that as well.

The Labasa Lions Club hosted us and provided local food at every village for lunch and restaurant dinners every night back in Labasa. Each day was well organised with transport, distribution of bottled water and a plan of where to go. Teams of two optometrists, one nurse and a driver would drive for about two hours, mostly over rough dirt roads to reach outlying villages. On arrival, there would already be a large group of locals sitting waiting. Some had walked for three hours to reach us. They were seen first so they could start their long walk home again. The nurse would do general health checks, such as blood pressure and paediatric checks, or would help the optometrists with visual acuity tests.

For the last three days, one team, including myself, stayed at Labasa hospital where I saw 19 low vision patients ranging from five to 90-year-olds, while teaching Noa, the Community Rehabilitation Liaison Officer, and Nari, an experienced and equally-devoted ophthalmic nurse, as much as I could about assessing and helping patients with low vision, especially as this is a new support addition for VOSO. Both Noa and Nari are very passionate about the work they do, and it was a real joy to work with them.

A real light bulb moment occurred when Noa and I realised he is working with many children who have been treated for congenital cataracts but have no reading glasses to help them with their school work. Noa also has several girls with albinism on his books and we gave him some small sunglasses to help them.

Most of the work we did as a team was providing reading glasses, though we were surprised at the large number of hypermetropes who needed distance glasses as well. On the first day we had no high-plus glasses amongst the spectacles collected by Lions Clubs from New Zealand. So, we improvised, giving out one pair for distance and a second pair to wear on top for reading. Not unexpectedly, we found a lot of pterygia and were also able to provide sunglasses for protection for sufferers.

Sadly, word had got around that VOSO teams have previously given out sunglasses and many people who could well afford to buy glasses from the local optometrist (Indian trained) or pharmacy approached us, sometimes in the street, for their ‘free’ sunglasses. Apparently, sunglasses and spectacles for distance vision is something of a status symbol, with the culture now dictating that you don’t wear a hat or any glasses in the village, as it is considered an offense to the village chief, as you could be seen to be placing yourself above him.

The VOSO team agreed that future visits to Labasa should focus on outreach to the villages, providing screening, spectacles and sunglasses to the population that need it most. As to low vision, this worked well from Labasa hospital.

In total, the four optometrists, Jill Mottram (team leader) Olga Hammond, John Mellsop and I, saw 950 patients of which 40 were referred to the hospital, mainly for cataracts and pterygia, plus 19 low vision patients.

My first VOSO trip was a truly rewarding experience. I particularly enjoyed helping people who had never had an eye health check before, have no access to spectacles and have never seen a magnifier before. It was also a privilege to work with such dedicated people: my colleagues, the Labasa hospital team and the small but very active Labasa Lions Club.

About the author

Naomi Meltzer is an Auckland-based optometrist, low vision consultant and champion, and VOSO supporter.

VOSO would like to acknowledge with thanks the

assistance and donations of low vision aids and

equipment from:

• Jennie Vowles – Lions Club Karori

• Neil Pugh – Lions Club Ferrymead

• Milburne & Neill Optometrists

• Mike Sladen Optical

• Pacific Vision

• Eyeline Optical

• Greenlane Low Vision Clinic

• Blind Foundation and members

• Jenny Carpenter

• Viv Gapes

• Sr Isabelle – Kaikohe

• Shirley McMurray

• Nancye Carter’s family

• Sally Fraser

• Essilor Vision Foundation NZ