LateKnightHype

We had the opportunity to be able to be featured on LateKnightHype at UCF. This all happened because one of our officers was working with the host of the show and she wanted to do a segment on clubs around UCF.

This was my first time on a radio show, so I was super hyped about it. At first, I was extremely nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was worried about possibly messing up or choking up, but everything turned out fine. 

Patricia Hartley and Danielle Case, the hosts of the show, were really friendly and energetic so they made the experience worth while. They gave us the run down of how the show works and what we will be doing. A series of questions about the club was asked such as how people can get involved, what events we do and have done, as well as what the pre-optometry association is all about.

The best part was that it was about Optometry, not necessarily why we picked this profession but details about the club. It was great because the information rolled of the tongue and it was something that I was passionate about. The stuff that I had to say didn’t need any preparation. It felt really good knowing that we were advertising for the club and could possibly recruit new members that share the same passion.

Here is the link so you can hear us on the radio:

https://soundcloud.com/user-214187666-291557703/lateknighthype2

Cataract surgery

In our down time, we alternated shifts, and shadowed the doctor as she completed cataract surgeries. This wasn’t my first time shadowing a cataract surgery, but it was my first time outside the U.S. I was curious to see if the process had distinct differences. One thing that I noticed in DR was that they were more hygienic compared to the United States. When I shadowed at the doctors office, they had me change my shoes, wear booties, tie up my hair, wear a hair net, full body gown, and a facemask. I’m used to all of this except for the gown and the changing of the shoes. I was all for it though because I believe that everything in the surgery room must be sterile; I was just shocked that a country could be more sterile than America. It actually made me happy that things are coming a long way in various countries and something as small as hygiene to us, was taking the biggest toll.

Since I had previously seen a surgery being done, it was cool to actually understand what was happening in the room as the doctor was inserting the lens, making the incision, and adding dye. All of this intrigued me even though I have a weak stomach. I couldn’t stop looking. The doctor was great during the whole thing as she thoroughly explained her every move and allowed us to look through the microscope as she made the incisions and performed the surgery. We got to see all the details and got to see the doctor do her thing. It takes about 8-12 minutes to do one eye. To me, this is crazy to even think about because cataracts are a big deal but it can all be fixed within a matter of minutes!! The eye is pretty cool :)

School time (Dajabon)

Our adventures continued, as we were able to volunteer at a local school by the doctor’s practice. This was extremely different compared to our first day because we only saw children today. I personally liked it better and thought it was more fulfilling because we were able to help them at a young age. It was important for them to get help at a younger age so that they wouldn’t experience eye problems later, and/or get cataracts or other diseases at such a young age. 

We saw so many students that needed a high prescription at such a young age. It was sad to know that they didn’t know any better, and that they had to struggle to see the board and do their homework. To them, that was the best that would ever happen, and they had to deal with it because they had no choice.

This is why this was the most rewarding because not only could we help them in that moment, but essentially for the rest of their life. Although, we weren’t able to see them use their glasses in class, I know that they can now see better without getting headaches or sitting really close to the board. 

An obstacle that we had while with the kids was the language barrier. I speak very broken Spanish, enough to get around but not necessarily to convey specific messages and emotions. Some of the kids were shy, not cooperative, or didn’t know their letters. This was an issue because it made it hard for us to understand what they needed and what they could and couldn’t see. They were all very smart, and were able to get through life with what they had, but for us, we struggled to understand how they were surviving. At the end, it ended up being a language and communication barrier. We solved this by using picture charts with shapes and directions so that they can use their hands or describe the picture to us. THIS HELPED A LOT! Once we switched our charts from letters to shapes and directions, you could see their eyes lit up and their facial language change. At first they were really confused and didn’t know what to do, but after they felt more confident.

Overall, we were able to see about 100 students, of all ages while we were there at the school. We got to see them during the school day, so they were excused from class. One thing I noticed was that all the kids are the same around the World. All the kids goofed off with there friends, had their cliques, and crushed on each other. That to me was really cool to see because even though, we look different physically, inside we are all the same people and do the similar things.

Santo Domingo --> Moca

Our first city on the list to provide primary eye care was to Moca. It was about a 2 ½ hour drive from Santo Domingo, in which we had a driver to took us.

Just on this first day we were able to see about 200 patients!! I was shocked when the Doctor told us about this because time just flew by. We were so happy!! I have worked at a private practice back in Florida, and we usually see about 10-15 patients a day and that is considered to be a busy day, but 200!!! This was definitely unheard of! It was such a great feeling knowing that we were able to help out so many people. It got me thinking, that if we were to do this everyday for at least a week, we could help on average of about 1400 people. Something as little as a week, can make such a drastic difference in a city. We were all determined to do it. 

One of the best things about this was the fact that the patients were super grateful. Some of these people didn’t have much in terms of food and shelter, but once they got their glasses and when they were talking to us, they were all so grateful and happy that they will now be able to see better. I would have thought they would be snobby because they didn’t have anything, and then looking at us, they would envy us or wouldn’t relate to us because we were so different. Instead, we were getting welcomed with hugs, and they opened up to us. The amount of stories were unreal, but that’s the difference between working in a hustle and bustle city compared to small, less fortunate area. I know these patients won’t take advantage of the situation and would be happy to get anything. From this we were able to so many patients and didn't notice the time. We enjoyed doing everything and helping the doctors with refractions to ensure they got the best treatment.

At first, it made me really sad to see young people getting cataracts when they are known to develop from 50+, but then it got me thinking. There’s nothing we can do now about it, but to help them. Yes its bad that they have this, but now we are able to help them out because we are here. The young people that we did help out could now benefit and hopefully the trend will continue.

The doctor that we worked with, Dr. Evelyn, was definitely one of the kindest souls ever. None of this could have been possible without her. She gave us the opportunity to help out all of these patients. She is an ophthalmologist, and in her spare time, she travels to different cities over the weekends and provides eye exams and refractions to people for free. SHE IS THE REAL DOCTOR GOALS. Her passion for optometry is so big and real, that anybody who is around her gets to feel that strong passionate vibe that she gives off.

            All of this happened just on day one… imagine how we felt at the end of the trip.

First time for everything. (Dominican Republic)

I have traveled to many cities, and countries before but this time it was different. The excitement was definitely there but so were the nerves. It was my first time flying with friends; usually I fly with family or even alone and that never scared me, but this time I found myself freaking out about the small stuff.

I definitely over packed, clothes, and medicine. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when going on a medical relief mission trip. 

My first medical mission trip was to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I have heard from so many people how beautiful DR was, and how the beaches were to die for, but that was more towards the touristy places. The cities that we were planning to go to and help out were the rural and "less developed" areas. Even though we didn't go to the tourist attractions, I still thought the country was beautiful, more so the people. I grew up in an environment where everybody is family, and we are very inviting people; this was how the people of DR were. They considered everybody family, and welcomed us into their homes as if they had known us forever. Some people cooked breakfast and dinner for us, and invited us to explore the city with them. We were more than honored. Regardless of  their social class, they were all more than willing to help out in any way. They always had a smile on their face, which was so reassuring.

Our mission for this trip was to provide primary eye care to those in the Dominican Republic. Before going on the trip, the Pre-Optometry Association cleaned and sorted out reading glasses, and put them in different catergories. We took these glasses to DR so we could give them out to those who can't afford eyeware as well as those who didn't have access to it. Its one thing to do something because someone told you to, but its so different to see your hard work put into action. I was happy to see the glasses actually being used. These people definitely were not going to take it for granted.

Sight & Sole Walk

This will be the third year that I attended this event. The venue changes every year along with the amount of people present. Without fail this event has increased their numbers, and more people are getting involved. This is the first year that I have worked behind the scenes as opposed to walking around the lake for the visionally impaired, so my perspective of the event changed.

This year I was in charge of the Disney characters; I had to make sure that they weren't bombarded with people, the line to meet them didn't get out of hand, and take pictures for those who intereacted with them. At first, I didn't even think it was an important job, but as I saw the faces of the children as they saw the characters walking around, my whole mentality changed. I had forgotten that for kids, seeing these characters was basically a dream come true, similiar to seeing them as Disney. To me, it wasn't impressive because I knew they were not real and it really wasn't a big deal. I had to change my mentality, and it kind of all hit me at once when their faces lit up.

Since the Sight & Sole walk was for the visionally impaired, there were kids and adults who couldn't see, but they were able to communicate through sign language, and their other senses. One girl who actually brought tears to my eyes was blind; although it hurt me to see her in that way, it also brought joy to me because she was able to engage with people through her other senses, communicate, and most importantly just be happy. Sight is obviously one of our biggest senses because this sense is how we are exposed to the world and our perspective, but this girl was able to see things so differently while being happy. According to her parents, her favorite Disney character was Snow White, and she happened to be there at the event. Her parents had told her "Honey, snow white is here to see you", she immediately perked up, and grabbed her hand and started touching her hands and put it against her face, and just started smiling so big. I had to turn around and not show weakness as my eyes teared up. It was something so little that can change someone's life, or even state of mind in a heartbeat. Snow white continued to talk to her and tell her stories about the "dwarfs" and her "animals", and you can just see on the girls face that she was listening intently and 100% engaged.

To conclude, sometimes you don't know how important a job can be until you actually do it, or until something positive happens. It might be something you don't even realize until later, but also know that when you volunteer, no matter what, you're always helping someone even if you can't see it or don't get praised.
My entire perspective changed about this event, and I am excited to continually go to the LightHouse of Central Florida's events.