$35,317 raised by 50 donors
100% complete
$35,000 Goal
With your generous donation, you can:
$25: provide an eye exam and prescription eyeglasses at VHI pop-up clinics in the U.S.
$50: pay for custom prescription eyeglasses for two kids
$100: provide four eye exams in underserved communities throughout the U.S.
$350: help one Honduran farmer return to work after sight-restoring cataract surgery
$500: help one child receive life-altering strabismus surgery in Guatemala
$1,000: pay to train two eye care professionals in Latin America, helping to build local sustainable eye care for thousands.
$5,000: covers the cost for a one-day VHI pop up eye clinic in the U.S.
Patient Stories:
1. Working with Malta House of Care, VHI reached well over 200 patients in one day. One young uninsured woman came to the clinic with a smile on her face and told our physicians that she hadn’t had prescription glasses for more than two years. She had broken them and did not have the resources to get a new pair of glasses, let alone pay for an eye exam to get an updated prescription. VHI’s volunteer physicians found that her vision was 20/150 in one eye and 20/200 in the other. When our volunteers asked if she had been working, she said she worked at a grocery store and sometimes delivered food… using her car. Within two weeks of visiting VHI’s clinic, she received new, up to date corrective glasses.
2. Charles—a 50 year old gentleman who was legally blind without glasses—was seen at our last community vision event. Charles was homeless and his most recent pair of glasses had been stolen. Due to his poor vision he could not see well enough to obtain a driver's license, go to job interviews, or fill out a job application. Charles also expressed the fact that he felt very "unsafe" in that he could not see across the street to identify people who might pose a risk to his safety.
After obtaining his new eyeglasses through our collaborative Changing Life Thru Lenses program, Charles returned to the optical store and raved about his improved vision. He stated that he was much more comfortable being able to achieve his activities of daily living and felt much more optimistic about his chances of obtaining employment.
Volunteer Testimonials:
It's the smile that always get me. That knowing and grateful smile that spreads over a dad's, or a mom's, or a kid's face when I place that one special pair of eyeglasses on the bridge of their nose and they realize their vision is much improved. That smile tells me, as no words can, that a life has been changed for the better. And that smile, of course, makes me smile, too. Paul O'Rourke, VHI Volunteer since 1999, Golden, CO
VHI brings into focus why I chose nursing as a career. Even with modest resources, VHI accomplishes a great deal, for in just one program, in just one week's time, many lives are profoundly changed for the better. Nancy Burns, RN, VHI Volunteer since 1990, Milwaukee, WI
VHI is an amazing organization. Having volunteered on dozens of medical missions in the past (including several eye care missions), I can assure you there is something special about VHI. Although volunteers will notice exceptional patient care, superb planning, organized flow, comfortable and safe accommodations and transportation, what makes VHI truly unique is the people. On each and every VHI mission, there is a strong sense of family and the team is composed of very friendly, inspiring, and passionate individuals. It comes as little surprise that VHI has a great proportion of its teams as returning volunteers. That being said, newcomers are always welcome and integrate very nicely into our ever-growing team. Working days in the field are long but never lacking in enthusiasm or smiles. I am proud to be part of an organization that services the global community with great passion and in a way that is sensitive to the local cultural norms and needs, while promoting sustainability through empowering the communities we serve to establish self-sufficient eye care programs. I see a very bright future for VHI and look forward to doing my part for the organization every step of the way.
Sasha Rosen, MD, VHI Volunteer, Spokane, WA
My work with VHI in Guatemala was made memorable when the cataract procedure I performed helped to restore sight for a local radio announcer who, before his surgery, could no longer read his scripts, and who, post surgery, was able to return to work.Doug Lavenburg, MD, Newark, DE
Bringing high-quality eye care to underserved communities around the world
We serve communities around the world, and in 2018, we added U.S.-based field programs to our organizational portfolio. We are proud to serve underserved communities in the U.S., as well as internationally. We provide high-quality, direct patient care to the communities we serve, including comprehensive eye exams, sight-restoring operations, and dispensing of eyeglasses and protective eyewear.
Strong partnerships are at the core of our work. We recruit volunteer ophthalmologists, optometrists, anesthesiologists, registered nurses, professional operating room technicians, and clinic personnel to participate in our field programs. We partner with at least one local organization for each field program; from local clinicians or physicians, to local governmental agencies, to local nonprofit organizations. Our services are performed in local hospital facilities, often with the assistance of local personnel. Return trips to many program sites enable us to build long-lasting relationships with local partners and patients.
An integral component of our mission is capacity building for the international medical personnel with whom we partner; we deliver medical technology to medical professionals in communities we serve, as well as provide direct surgical training of medical personnel, pre- and post-operative care, specialized oculoplastic instruction, and patient exams.
Dr. Rodney E. Abernethy recognized that even the most basic vision health care was out of reach for most adults and children in rural Latin America, where there is perhaps one ophthalmologist for every 250,000 people, and where unemployment, lack of health insurance, and the burden of poverty compound an already serious medical problem.
Beginning in 1985 and on three successful (and sometimes difficult) surgical field programs to Ecuador, Dr. Abernethy established a model and a mission for a growing band of dedicated volunteers. Sadly, this small group of doctors, nurses, and Peace Corps volunteers lost their inspirational leader in 1988. Thankfully, they never lost their inspiration.
VHI was incorporated in 1989 to honor Dr. Abernethy's pioneering work in Ecuador and to continue his efforts to make vision health care services affordable and accessible for people in the developing countries of Latin America.
Organization name
Vision Health International
other names
VHI
1989
Tax id (EIN)
94-3108791
Category
Health Care
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
P.O. Box 597Headquarters
P.O. Box 597Mesa County, CO, US
MO, US