We finished up our vision clinic in Santiago and surrounding areas on January 30, 2025. In all, we saw nearly 1,200 patients and made a number of referrals (e.g., cataract surgery) for the group of ophthalmologists who will follow us in March. Moreover, a number of our patients will have their glasses prescriptions filled in the U.S. All should have their new glasses by the middle of March. I feel great about this work. I admire my fellow team members, many of whom have made ten or more of the kind of clinic visits over their lifetimes. Thanks for letting me join you.

The leaders of our team assign me easy work. On this trip, I dispersed sunglasses to patients (all get a pair), queued up patients as they waited for their glasses fitting, and assessed acuity (what can they see on an eye chart?) at an orphanage. My part in the process can be hectic at times, but it’s also rewarding, especially when I see the smiles on people’s faces who for much of their lives have had impaired vision. Now and then I’m lucky enough to get a picture of a patient smiling, just having selected a pair of sunglasses and just before they are fitted for glasses.

On the last day of the clinic, I joined a crew of optometrists and support staff at an orphanage for what I had imagined would be a very good day. I was not disappointed. We saw 85 teachers and students. The orphanage was clean and laid out in a way that seemed very uplifting from a student perspective. The children were dressed in uniforms, well-behaved, and full of positive energy. I began the day with a dance-off with a few six-year-olds. I took some pictures of them but requested that none be taken of me. The kids laughed at this geezer. The adults seemed mortified.

As I noted before, clinic days are busy and sometimes we get nearly overwhelmed. But the energy and outcomes carry the day and by 6 or 6:30 pm, we are left smiling and remembering what was accomplished. The last few photos capture both the energy and the smiles that carry us through each of these wonderful days.