Saving sight on my recent medical mission trip to Guatemala
By Sen. Rand Paul
September 03, 2014
I recently returned from a medical mission to Guatemala organized by the John Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah.
My first connection with Guatemala was in the 1990's.
I met the Hernandez brothers when they were kids. They were led into the examining room by their foster mother. Though they were blind, both boys still worked together to bring water from the river for their family in a small village in Guatemala.
I met them because of the humanitarian work of Bill and Judy Schwank. Bill was born in Guatemala and came to the U.S. to practice neurosurgery. His wife, Judy, is an attorney and longtime advocate for adoption.
They brought Juan and Andres Hernandez to me in 1999 to see if I could restore any of their vision. Juan was 8 and Andres 14.
On examination, I found that they had mature cataracts. Juan could see hand motion and Andres light perception only. I explained that the vision center in the brain must be stimulated before age of 7 or vision isn't possible-- even if the cataracts are removed. Our hope was that the cataracts were not mature at birth and that the boys had some vision at an early age.
...
Reply With Quote
Connect With Us