Current Student News
Optometry
General News
As president of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Salus at Drexel University chapter of the Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH), Nicole Trifilio ‘26OD, alongside vice president Mariam Majid ‘26OD, found the group’s recent service trip to Jamaica particularly meaningful.
Not only was it one of the largest trips SOSH has organized since the pandemic, but Trifilio and Majid felt a deep responsibility to revive the service trip tradition and make it an experience available to as many Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) students as possible.
As it turned out, the trip to Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, from Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, 2024, became one of the most memorable and transformative experiences Trifilio has had, so far, during her time at PCO.
One of the patients Trifilio treated in Jamaica was a 16-year-old girl struggling in school who had never had the opportunity to wear glasses.
“As I worked through the refraction, every click of minus power I added to the phoropter made her smile grow bigger and brighter,” said Trifilio. “By the end of the process, her joy was contagious — she couldn’t believe this was how the world was supposed to look.”
After the exam, the girl hugged Trifilio and said, “Maybe now I can improve my grades.”
“Her words hit me hard. Something as simple as correcting her vision had the potential to change her life — not just academically but in ways I may never fully know,” said Trifilio. “This moment reminded me of the profound impact that even basic eye care can have. It’s easy to forget that what feels routine to us as clinicians — adjusting lenses, calculating prescriptions — can be life-changing for someone else. Seeing her light up with hope and possibility reaffirmed why I chose this path.”
It’s not an uncommon experience for the students to have on these trips, according to Luis Trujillo, OD ‘09, Resident ‘12, assistant professor at PCO and one of three faculty advisors on the trip, along with Laine Higa, OD, Resident ‘15, associate professor, and Alice Lim, OD ‘18, Resident ‘19, assistant professor.
The trips, Dr. Trujillo said, accomplish several things that contribute to the students’ educational experience. “First, it provides them the opportunity to serve those who are not as fortunate as they are. Secondly, the students become equipped with gaining an understanding of how to conduct an eye examination under less-than-optimal conditions or circumstances,” said Dr. Trujillo. “Third, it was a tremendous opportunity/learning experience for them to observe the surgical procedures performed by the surgical team who joined us.”
Reflecting on the broader impact to the community at large, Dr. Trujillo “hopes it will have inspired them to continue to participate in this type of outreach once they have completed their academic work and begin practicing as doctors in their own right.”
The PCO contingent, which included 20 Doctor of Optometry students, joined a group of 52 volunteers, including a five-person surgical team, to treat 1,991 patients during the totality of the trip. That included 57 cataract and 27 minimally invasive glaucoma (MIG) surgeries (a record for iCARE and Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James); 860 health screenings for hypertension with an educational component; 741 health screenings for diabetes with an educational component; and 866 pairs of prescription glasses were dispensed.
Two other PCO students — Malik Jayber ‘26OD and Atif Khan ‘26OD — were experiencing their first service trip and all expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity.
“The trip gave me valuable experience working in a fast-paced, resource-limited setting, which sharpened my problem-solving skills and patient interactions,” said Jayber. “It also reinforced my passion for helping people through optometry. I learned the importance of efficiency and making the most of available resources. Even with a high volume of patients, I realized the importance of taking the time to provide each person with the quality care they deserve.”
For Khan, taking the drive to the clinical daily and seeing patients waiting eagerly outside for the health service providers was a definite highlight.
“I learned to communicate effectively despite certain language and cultural barriers,” Khan said. “And, I was able to further expand on my clinical experience in diagnosing and managing various eye conditions while having limited resources. This mission trip strengthened my understanding of how eyecare improves quality of life, which helped me to reinforce why I chose the profession of optometry.”
Finally, Majid also reflected on how the trip provided her with “unforgettable experiences and memories” she will always carry with her.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one that every student should consider doing,” she said. “This mission trip alone has been a pivotal moment in my optometry career. It has made me want to incorporate service to the community in my future endeavors.”
