VOSH Texas has successful clinic trips

Clinic Reports Messages

The first two VOSH Texas clinics of this year were highly successful. We were a little short of ODs for the spring clinic with only 3 in attendance, but by working late we managed to care for over 300 patients, sending over 100 for cataract surgery. We always have a great surgical team to refer to. The summer clinic was attended by 5 SVOSH students from SUNY in New York as well as 4 recent OD graduates, two from U of H and 2 from Aguascalientes. We had one VOSH OD from Penticton, British Columbia and one from Cuauhtemoc, Mexico. This team pretty well filled our 10 exam rooms and around 800 patients were examined and over 150 were sent to surgery.

Our fall clinic will be the week of September 10^th. Four ODs are already registered! Applications can be found at: guerreroclinic.org! Two of our members attended the VOSH conference in Denver two weeks ago where we learned of the other great work VOSH is doing around the world. As a result of this Denver meeting, we learned more about The Essilor Vision Foundation and its great work with VOSH. VOSH Texas is now a partner with The Essilor Vision Foundation and takes advantage of the services and materials offered by them. If you wish more info about this Foundation, please contact me or the EVF web site.

Tom Pruett, OD

VOSH/International believes in the freedom to see. Providing the gift of vision and eye health to people worldwide. We facilitate the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care. Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care.

Chinese (Simplified)

Updated COVID-19 and VOSH Humanitarian Clinics Advice

VOSH/International recently consulted its US and International Chapters about the feasibility and timing to restart our humanitarian clinics. While the vaccination process continues with different levels of success depending on availability and acceptance, it is evident that vaccine inequity and the availability and reliability of data in several countries are issues we need to consider.

Even if already vaccinated, our chapters are still concerned about the wellbeing of our volunteers and patients. Some chapters, are organizing clinics locally where they are better able to comply with the existing safety requirements and respective state/country regulations.

The COVID-19 pandemic is being experienced quite differently depending on state, region, country, vaccine availability, vaccine acceptance, and the spread of SARS-COV-2 variants. Most VOSH chapters are not holding clinics or traveling internationally in 2021.

Thus, VOSH/International is slightly moderating its overall guidance against clinics and travel issued in late March 2020 and renewed in January 2021. This will be reviewed and communicated on a quarterly basis.

If a VOSH Chapter choses to hold a clinic or travel internationally, we highly recommend that the chapter performs due diligence to comply fully with the requirements established by the visited country, ensures all VOSH volunteers are aware of and follow strict safety guidelines and all existing protocols and regulations of the country, and keeps the principle of “do no harm” embedded in all its decision making. As always, the wellbeing and safety for VOSH volunteers and our patients is of utmost importance and central to any decision-making process. We have published our updated clinic guidelines with best practices to be observed in this new context. VOSH chapters in specific countries are using protocols that need to be considered as well. You can download VOSH/International clinic guidelines here.

*VOSH/International is formed by autonomous US and international chapters that are fully and only responsible for their activities, fundraising and decision-making. VOSH/International can only provide recommendations based on our best knowledge and information at the time.

Also please keep checking the following sites with official and most recent updates:

World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

US CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/when-to-delay-travel.html

US Government Travel Advise: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to improving vision and eye health throughout the world.

John Daniel Twelker, OD, PhD, FAAO, FVI

President, VOSH/International

July 2021