Students Shine During Optometric Mission Trip

On her first mission trip, Gillian Eastman ‘24OD, noticed a woman who appeared to be in her 40s squinting as she navigated her way to the exam chair.

After being examined by Eastman, the woman, who it turned out had never before worn glasses, had a large astigmatic prescription.

“As soon as I put my retinoscopy findings in a trial frame, she lit up — eyes wide and smiling from ear to ear — and she told me she had never seen so clearly,” said Eastman. “I saw this reaction in a lot of my patients and it gave me so much joy to know I was dramatically improving their quality of life.”

Eastman was part of a group of 15 students and two faculty members — Korey Patrizi, OD, Resident ‘21, FAAO, and Bhawan Minhas, OD, Resident ‘14, FAAO — from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University’s chapter of the Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) on a humanitarian trip. The group traveled for 10 days in late November 2022 to La Barca, Jalisco, Mexico.

It was the first post-pandemic trip for the PCO/Salus SOSH chapter. Although humanitarian work has been part of the chapter’s mission for more than 50 years, it was also the first time SOSH has teamed up with Oeuvre VOSH Santa Cruz. This chapter of Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) is based out of Montreal, Canada, and is organized by Pierre Labine, a priest and lifelong humanitarian.

SOSH trips not only provide PCO/Salus students with an opportunity to exam and treat patients, but they also personally connect with and help underserved patients in different countries.

Throughout the trip, Erica Enarusai ‘24OD became friends with many of the local mission workers. One day while conducting vision exams, she found a patient with a bilateral hemifacial spasm — a rare, peripherally induced disorder that must be differentiated from tics, dystonia including blepharospasm and other cranial dystonia, and other facial dyskinesias. The patient explained to Enarusai that the condition became worse for her when she became emotional or anxious, which was evident to Enarusai when she sat down in the exam chair.

“She was very worried about her health, and thought we wouldn't be able to help her get glasses with her condition,” said Enarusai. “I did her refraction, and she got glasses that day. It wasn't until later that I found out she was the mother of one of the ladies I had become friends with. I was so happy to find out I helped her mother.”

During their visit, the group served 2,278 patients over the span of six and half clinic days. It was Dr. Minhas’ third mission supervising students and she was impressed by the dedication and camaraderie displayed by the PCO/Salus group.

“The 15 students who joined the trip sacrificed their Thanksgiving holidays with family,” said Dr. Minhas, associate dean of Accelerated Programs at PCO/Salus. “They put the skills that they’ve learned toward improving the lives of a whole community as a way to give thanks this year.”

Dr. Minhas added that the trip came shortly before the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) part one exam which the students will sit for in a few months and directly preceded fall semester final exams.

“The students worked hard during the mission even though they have an uphill climb ahead of them academically too,” she said. “This attitude and commitment also did not go unnoticed by the other groups joining us. We had multiple compliments by locals and VOSH members on the hard work and grace our students displayed.” 

Dr. Patrizi noted several aspects of the trip that made it special.

“It’s a privilege to work in cooperation with people from different walks of life with the shared goal of giving back to a whole community,” she said. She added that the PCO/Salus group were joined by not only VOSH Montreal, but VOSH members from France as well. “The Montreal VOSH chapter included many wonderful people. We especially enjoyed getting to know Dr. Claude Chagnon (optometrist) and his partner Joanne Landry (optician),” said Dr. Patrizi. “Though he considers it his passion, Dr. Chagnon is still working three days a week at the age of 86 and this was his last mission trip. They both will hold a special place in our hearts, and set a great example of living a life of service and truly loving what you do.”

Collectively, the PCO/Salus students said their first mission trip exceeded their expectations and they highly recommend the experience to their colleagues.

“What really stood out to me was how many of the patients had never seen an eye care provider,” said Eastman. “The people in this area were incredibly grateful for our service, and I've never seen so many faces light up after putting on a pair of glasses. My biggest takeaway is to be grateful for the access to care we have.”

Enarusai said she was surprised at how big the mission trip was and how many patients the group was able to see in a short time span.

“Everyone was so kind and grateful. And, the patients were very patient,” she said. “There were very long wait times and there was a language barrier as well. I could understand if someone were to be irritated by the time they got to the exam room. But I did not encounter this once. It shows how much they appreciated our work.”