Vision screening in a multi-disciplinary outreach to an underserved Filipino population

The professional and administrative staff of Word of Hope Hospital, Manila, hosted a 43 member volunteer medical missions team from Naperville Illinois to provide a major weeklong outreach to their community. The US team included nurses, pediatricians, internists, surgeons, dentists, dental hygienists, medical technicians, and an optometrist. Basic medical screenings for adults and children, prescribed pharmaceuticals, scheduled surgical procedures, vision, ocular health screenings, eyewear, and rudimentary dental procedures were provided at no cost. Over 4,300 individual patients were evaluated during the 4-day event. The data for the first 100 ophthalmic patients were collected and analyzed to give demographics, ocular findings and refractive error. The overwhelming majority were adults; only 2 children were brought in for eyecare services. Both had visible corneal pathology. Females outnumbered males 94: 6. Five of the 100 patients were referred over from internists for ocular evaluation after diagnosis of systemic disease with ocular involvement. Refractive errors were hyperopic and presbyopic (95%) consistent with patient age ranges (26-89, average age 45 excluding children). Factors influencing those seeking care include socio-economic status, outreach time, location and cultural expectations. Eyecare professionals recognize the importance of early intervention in preventing vision loss from uncorrected refractive errors, however, in this sample population no parent presented their child for evaluation. Team statistics indicate a great demand for dental services, pediatric medical evaluations and vitamin requests. These data confirm public understanding of refractive error and the continued need for appropriate patient education regarding the importance of visual evaluation for those of school age.