Visiting ophthalmologist supplement local health care

Health care is a subject never too far from the thoughts of most Belizeans. And while we recognize that in many critical areas the level of treatment available locally may be lacking, that system is supplemented by visiting specialists, often volunteers, who help fill the gap. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
It was an emotionally charged day at the National Eye Clinic as pediatric patients emerged from surgery … and others were prepped to enter the theatre.

Five year old Enid Segura and her four year old brother Ryan were two of six children operated on today to correct crossed eyes. According to Aura Hernandez, she first noticed a problem with her children’s eyes a year and a half ago. As the Benque Viejo family waited for its turn this morning, Hernandez told us that while she knows the procedure will improve her children’s future, she couldn’t help feeling nervous.

Aura Hernandez, Mother (Translated)
“Yes.”

Janelle Chanona
“What are you thinking?”

Aura Hernandez
“I just want everything to be okay.”

Janelle Chanona
“Do they know what’s going to happen today?”

Aura Hernandez
“No.”

Janelle Chanona
“What are they asking?”

Aura Hernandez
“They’re not asking me anything but when one cries, the other starts to cry.”

Janelle Chanona
“You too.”

Aura Hernandez
“Yes.”

Dr. Alstair Rennie specializes in crossed eyes … or squinting as it’s referred to medically. He’s been coming to Belize for the past three years, donating his skills to give others better vision. Patients are only asked to cover the cost of the anaesthesia.

Dr. Alstair Rennie, Cross-Eye Specialist
“We then proceed to slacken off some muscles and tighten up some muscles right around about the eye in an attempt to get the two eyes to work together.”

Each surgery takes approximately fifteen minutes. According to Dr. Rennie, while the procedure is necessary in some cases, other patients can be treated with glasses.

Dr. Alstair Rennie
“There isn’t really anything other than the few cases that respond well to treatment with glasses alone but some children need glasses and squint surgery and some children just need surgery and no glasses, no two cases are exactly the same.”

Dr. Rennie is just one of the specialists that the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired has partnered with to offer Belizeans state of the art eye care.

Christa Courtenay, Human Resource/Promotions Officer, B.C.V.I.
“It just depends on what the need is, what we have in country and what we need to bring in from out of the country.”

According to B.C.V.I.’s Christa Courtenay, eye clinics are conducted in Belize City, Orange Walk, Belmopan, Dangriga and Punta Gorda.

Christa Courtenay
“We do a lot of screening that way, basically for glasses, refractive errors, basic things but as they identify other things cause they are trained to do that as well they refer to our national eye clinic here in Belize City where there is normally an ophthalmologist. They see them, screen them for whatever the eye condition might be and then give them the recommendation on what the treatment should be. And then if we can do it, obviously we do and if we need to wait for a specialist, they go on a list and when the specialist comes, we gather everybody and bring them or whatever needs to happen, to facilitate their treatment.”

One such patient is Edroy Lodge who has sought eye care through the B.C.V.I.

Edroy Lodge, Eye Patient
“The eye doctor tell me that nothing wrong with me eye. Eh sey weh normally happen, weh normal yu age but eh sey like I need wah lee glasses fu read cause then yu strain yu eye no. Well I know dat dah true cause I patch net and thing and eh affect me. Well, me I kinda stubborn cause when I got somebody fu do I no wah lef weh I deh do fu come tend to me own self.”

Janelle Chanona
“You glad you come though?”

Edroy Lodge
“Well I glad I come cause at least I get wah glasses weh I could see good through.”

Lodge also left with a free pair of sunglasses, which is offered to anyone who buys a pair of regular glasses from B.C.V.I.

Christa Courtenay
“The whole motto or goal of B.C.V.I., the vision is that no one is needlessly blind in Belize so if we can find it, catch it, treat it before somebody loses vision permanently, we do that.”

B.C.V.I. also conducts a rehabilitation program for anyone who has already lost their vision. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.

According to Courtenay, visiting Pediatric Specialist Dr. Garuav Kakkar will be providing advanced eye care through the B.C.V.I. until June. For more information, please contact the National Eye Clinic on Princess Margaret Drive or the B.C.V.I.’s office on Gabourel Lane.