How it All Started
The Rural Eyeglasses Project is an outgrowth of the Somotillo/Bennington Sister City Project, which is a partnership for sustainable community development between the people of Somotillo, Nicaragua and the Greater Bennington area in Vermont. Somotillo has a Social Commission, a group of volunteers who work in their town for economic micro development. Community members there submit proposals for prospective projects to the Social Commission, which reviews and approves the proposals. The Bennington group provides resources and supplies.
In June 2000 we took 600 pairs of glasses, which had been donated by the Georgia Lions Lighthouse. Each pair of glasses had been read with a lensometer and the near (and far, when bifocals) prescription was printed on a label on the plastic bag holding the pair of glasses. For our patient selection, we began by inviting individuals working in the social support system (health workers, midwives, community volunteers) to come for assistance. We took near and far visions of each person, then matched the closest pair of preread eyeglasses to their autorefractor readings. The three trained people, Alonzo, Marlying and Denis, then operated the "store" on Sunday afternoons twice a month, working up between ten and 12 people each session, until they ran out of usable eyeglasses. They have seen 300 plus patients.
For the training, we spend one day teaching the individuals who will run the "store" how to work up patients, take visions, and use the autorefractor. On the second day we invite up to 8 patients to the clinic to give the student technicians supervised hands on experience. This two-day process prepares these technicians to continue the project without further supervision.
The goal is to train more people to work with patients, bring more glasses, and to open the project up to the general population.
There is a charge to each patient who receives glasses. Community workers were charged a symbolic rate of 20 Cordobas total (which is the equivalent of $2 US) for both the consultation and the glasses. This is the equivalent of $2 US. Non-community workers will be charged 40 Cordobas ($4 US). We use the funds generated to offset some of the office/administrative expenses.
The project depends upon our ability to get more pre-read eyeglasses. Three factors have affected the continuity of supply.
1. Most of the patients we see are 40 years or older, and need reading glasses.
2. Most people are hyperopic, so usually only plus powered eyeglasses are needed.
3. Sending pre-read glasses requires an ongoing preparation mechanism in the US, and a regular shipping mechanism based on need to re-supply the clinic.