shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13032
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Medicos Voladores Vision Clinic in Bahia Asuncion
This weekend we hosted the Medicos Voladores for their 13th trip here! Every year this dedicated group flies in and does a clinic of varying
descriptions...dental, gynecology, ear, nos 7 throat etc. Here they are arriving at our air strip which by the way is the longest dirt strip in Baja.
They welcoming party included the local cops and the military, the Mayor and first lady, Tomas...the head of the Proteccion Civil & Loncheria
Mari... and Juan & I.
This time we set a record and saw 114 patients in a gruelling 12 hour day. They usually do 2 days but Hurricane Paine blew out one of their days. It
was great to be able to help the good folk of Asuncion get new glasses and identify some vision problems and suggest treatment. The oldest patient was
93 and we had several kids too...one who cried he was so happy he could see far away! Here are some of the stars of the day...
here is the waiting room outside
as usual Tomas feeds us all very well which keeps everyone happy!
It is always an honour to work with these wonderful people who bring so much joy to our villages. Now we need to find a way to get the glasses that
are being made down to us...maybe a Nomad could do the honour? They will be ready at the end of October and are around 20 pairs.
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jbcoug
Senior Nomad
Posts: 709
Registered: 9-24-2006
Location: Vancouver, WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Needing Baja!
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It is incredible work these volunteers do!
\"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" Andy Rooney
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fishbuck
Banned
Posts: 5318
Registered: 8-31-2006
Member Is Offline
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Awesome! And cool Beechcraft too!
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13032
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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hey Fishbuck, why dont you volunteer to fly with them!
The most asked question is...when are they coming back? Their answer was interesting. The reason they only come once a year is that they dont have
enough volunteers to do the clinics...mostly due to the wives of the doctors not allowing their spouses to travel to Mexico! Jeepers.
So they have a shortage of doctors, dentists, optometrists etc.
Perhaps Nappo can bring the glasses down when they visit in November!
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tiotomasbcs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1837
Registered: 7-30-2007
Location: El Pescadero
Member Is Offline
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What a wonderful spirit they bring to our rural areas! Beautiful faces on the locals, young and old. As a former teacher, the importance of vision
testing cannot be overstated. Along with other medical needs! Smiles. Tio
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SFandH
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6916
Registered: 8-5-2011
Member Is Offline
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Conspiracy of the Optometrists and Opticians
In the pet peeves category:
Why is it I can go into a store and buy a pair of reading glasses that best correct my presbyopia (farsightedness) for a few dollars but to get
glasses to correct myopia (nearsightedness) I need an exam, prescription, and expensive lens and frames. It's just a different shaped piece of
plastic.
You can buy contact lenses for any correction without a prescription, why not regular glasses?
The eyeglass business is a racket that keeps millions of poor people from being able to see clearly.
It's time for cheap over-the-counter glasses for myopia. Put up an eye chart, a line to stand at, and pick the glasses that work the best for you. I
bet 5 different lens shapes (focal lengths) and a few frame sizes would cover most everyone. Maybe not perfectly, but good enough.
And yes I understand an eye exam is best but if it's unavailable or too expensive it won't get done anyway. Like in Asuncion. Those folks should be
able to buy corrective glasses in Viscaino for 100 pesos.
[Edited on 9-27-2016 by SFandH]
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