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AAO symposium will encourage volunteerism
The symposium and another panel will describe the needs of developing countries.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Practitioners will have the opportunity to learn about the many international nongovernmental organizations that use volunteers and the ways to join in their efforts at a symposium held here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.
With cataract, trachoma, onchocerciasis (river blindness) and childhood blindness major causes of curable and preventable blindness in developing countries, there is a great need for American ophthalmologists to share their expertise. One way is through international volunteerism, whether one is just starting out in practice or recently retired.
The symposium, titled “Be an International Volunteer,” will be held on Monday during the AAO meeting. A related forum, “Reaching the Unreached with Quality Eye Care,” will be held the following day.
One of the organizers of the symposium (and a scheduled speaker) is James E. Standefer, MD, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Standefer, who has been an active international volunteer for the past decade, chairs the education development subcommittee of the Academy Foundation’s Committee on International Ophthalmology.
To date, Dr. Standefer has made 56 overseas trips to 34 developing countries, averaging five trips a year. His most recent trip was in May, to Namibia in southwest Africa, where he performed cataract extractions for about a week. In September, Dr. Standefer is scheduled to return to southern Nepal for a second time to conduct a 2-week workshop on glaucoma for five Nepalese ophthalmologists from various teaching institutions in that country. These physicians then return to their home institutions to train others.
“Ophthalmologists in my age group have 30 to 40 years of clinical experience,” he said. “We have also seen the evolution of cataract surgery from intracapsular to extracapsular to phacoemulsification. Even though we may no longer wish to perform surgery, we can certainly teach surgery by assisting. This vast amount of clinical experience we possess is highly valuable to ophthalmologists from other countries who haven’t had the advantage of our superior education.”
Sharing practical experience
When recruiting practitioners who have never been in academics to volunteer in developing countries, Dr. Standefer is often confronted by candidates who feel they have nothing meaningful to contribute.
“My answer is that someone like yourself is really needed,” he said. “You attend in a clinic in another country and help teach those medical personnel, just like we were taught in our ophthalmology residency training here. It’s teaching the basics. All of us have so much practical experience to share.”
According to Dr. Standefer, the most popular type of volunteerism for ophthalmologists still in practice is short-term opportunities with various organizations.
“Doctors take 1 or 2 weeks off from their practice once a year and visit a developing country, where they normally assist a cataract surgeon. These are situations where there is already an ophthalmologist present, but a growing backlog of cataract cases,” he said.
Adam R. Zayan, MD, the medical director of the ORBIS program, which has converted an airplane into a fully equipped eye hospital that flies worldwide, will speak on “Organizations with Short-Term Opportunities.”
Three other brief talks will address ophthalmic institutions in twinning relationships for service, research and academic training. For academic training, for instance, a physician from a developing country may come to observe in the States for 3 months. The University of Minnesota has sponsored a number of foreign surgeons over the years.
“I’ve had people come here to learn how to set up an eye bank, to train in pediatric ophthalmology, oculoplastics, etc.,” Dr. Standefer said.
Gottfried O. Naumann, MD, of Germany, will speak on “Ophthalmic Institutions in Twinning Relationships for Academic Training.” Other topics for the symposium include “Epidemiology of Blindness Today,” “Organizations with Ongoing Country Programs,” “Disease Specific Programs,” and “New Challenges.” A discussion period will conclude the gathering.
Four categories
International volunteer projects can be divided into four categories: large cataract backlogs with not enough physicians (Nigeria, Haiti, Tibet), large cataract backlogs with ample physicians (Vietnam, China, India), minimal cataract backlogs with ample physicians (Guatemala, Mongolia, Costa Rica), and clinical teaching (Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa).
“For any visit, though, a letter of invitation from the local health authority is required, as well as at least one local ophthalmologist with whom to work and a clear agreement with that local physician for patient follow-up once you leave,” Dr. Standefer said.
One valuable resource for interested practitioners is the AAO’s International Volunteer Registry.
“A computer-matching program allows potential volunteers to specify location, length of service, type of skill being offered, areas of special interest and whether financial assistance is needed,” he said.
This information is then matched with data from nearly 200 organizations and institutions worldwide seeking volunteer ophthalmologists.
Dr. Standefer estimates that about half of first-time volunteers sign up again.
“My most satisfaction comes from teaching. Although restoring sight to one individual is satisfying, it doesn’t do much in reducing overall world blindness. But being a trainer of trainers can have great impact,” he said.
In most instances, volunteers pay their own airfare, it is common for the host to provide room and board. This may consist of a local hotel, motel or even staying with families.
For Your Information:
- James E. Standefer, MD, can be reached at 10080 Hadley Ave. N., White Bear Lake, MN 55110; (651) 429-4953; fax: (651) 429-3708; e-mail: stand003@tc.umn.edu.
- The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s symposium, “Be an International Volunteer,” will be held Sunday, October 20, 2002, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in Room 414C of the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive, Orlando, Fla.