Global Ophthalmology

The West Virginia University Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the Eye Institute’s mission to treat preventable blindness and improve vision outcomes for patients extends beyond Appalachia through several global outreach missions that target vulnerable patient populations in areas with a significant need for specialty services.

Organized by Department faculty, these missions are designed to deliver the highest-quality medical and surgical ophthalmic care directly to isolated patients and empower local physicians through specialized training and mentorship opportunities. These missions are made possible in part by partnerships with several statewide and global outreach organizations and medical institutions.

Saint Lucia

For more than 20 years, the Eye Institute has partnered with the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association and the Lions Club of Saint Lucia to address the vision needs of children with blinding eye diseases in Saint Lucia. Director of Outreach Rebecca Coakley and Professor John Nguyen perform an evaluation on a pediatric patient through Kids Insight in Saint Lucia

This initiative, known as Kids Insight, is a product of the Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program and is led by Director of Outreach Rebecca Coakley, MA, CLVT, and Assistant Professor Charles Moore, M.D. Once a year, a team from the Eye Institute travels to St. Lucia for 1-2 weeks, where they provide services such as ocular surgeries, eye exams and low vision management to pediatric patients in need and deliver educational training to local ophthalmology trainees. While the program primarily focuses on providing care for pediatric patients, Kids Insight also provides ophthalmic care to adults.

Honduras

The WVU Eye Institute provides targeted care to patients in Honduras through a pair of initiatives led by Professor and Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Director John Nguyen, M.D. Dr. Nguyen performs procedure on local patient through collaboration with CHHF

Through a partnership with the Carolina Honduras Health Foundation, WVU ophthalmologists travel to Limon, Honduras, once a year to provide services such as comprehensive eye exams, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy evaluation and treatment and specialized ocular surgeries directly to local patients in need.

Through an additional partnership with the Advanced Center for Eyecare Global, a team from the Eye Institute travels to Honduras to provide surgical ophthalmic training to local ophthalmology fellows. The goal of this initiative is to provide local trainees with the skills needed to establish oculoplastic practices that address visual disparity and blindness in their communities.

Ghana

For more than a decade, a team from the Eye Institute led by Professor and Chair Thomas Mauger, M.D., has traveled to St. Theresa’s Hospital in the rural region of Asuoso in Ghana to deliver critical vision-saving eye care services to local patients.

The team, typically consisting of Dr. Mauger and a resident or fellow trainee, travels to Asuoso approximately once every two years to deliver highly specialized ocular surgical services and disease management directly to patients. This initiative serves as an ideal training opportunity designed to introduce the next generation of ophthalmologists to the world of global vision outreach.