N. Furtado, K. Stewart, M. Hellinga, A. Sharif, V. Lin, L. Cuscito, S. Borho
By Jade Lankowski
This past November, a team of 25 optometrists, optometry students, ophthalmologists, opticians and nurses participated in an Eye Health Institute (EHI) volunteer trip to northwestern Jamaica – a region where access to specialized eye care is limited.
This year, the team included University of Waterloo fourth-year optometry students Leah Cuscito and Sophie Borho, as well as Dr. Nadine Furtado, an associate clinical professor with the School of Optometry and Vision Science, and several recent graduates: Drs. Michaela Hellinga, Katie Stewart, Vanessa Lin and Alisha Sharif (all OD ’23).
The team conducted over 500 eye exams, made and dispensed glasses to everyone in need and performed 30 cataract surgeries this trip alone.
It was an eye-opening trip for the students.
“Patients would line up for hours, sometimes days, just for a chance to have their eyes checked and be sent home with something as simple as a pair of over-the-counter reading glasses,” says Cuscito.
“One 65-year-old woman I met had perfectly healthy eyes, but her high prescription and farsightedness prevented her from seeing well up close and far away. In Canada, she would have had glasses for most of her life, so she would have had a routine exam and gone on with her day. But in Jamaica, she never received access to eye care. We made her a pair of glasses and she was very grateful to the team. That’s a moment that I’ll remember forever,” says Borho.
For Furtado, the annual volunteer trip to Jamaica has become a tradition. This past trip marked her eighth year volunteering and the EHI’s 24th year of providing eye care to underserved communities in Jamaica. Alongside colleagues, she oversaw student operations and provided critical eye care to locals in Hanover Parish, east of the town of Negril.
Glaucoma is one of the most prevalent eye conditions in Jamaica. It often has no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, by which point vision loss is irreversible. This can be especially concerning in regions like Hanover Parish, where patients don’t regularly have access to eye care to allow early diagnosis of glaucoma. In addition, even if patients are prescribed medication to manage glaucoma, factors like cost and access can still be barriers to treatment. Furtado and the EHI are finding ways to bring portable visual field devices and ophthalmic imaging instruments to Jamaica to more accurately diagnose and monitor the progression of the disease.
“Until recently, our team was managing glaucoma without the ancillary testing, such as visual fields and OCTs, that we routinely use in Canada. This approach is outdated in terms of glaucoma management. However, by leveraging advances in technology that have made ophthalmic instruments more portable, we can now provide similar testing conditions to the people of Jamaica, significantly improving their quality of care," Furtado says.
Dr. Furtado’s motivation to keep making these trips is her admiration for the EHI’s model of care delivery, which emphasizes continuity by ensuring that patients have the opportunity to receive annual care. Over the years, she’s had the joy of seeing many returning patients come back for ongoing care of their chronic eye diseases.
“I became involved with EHI because I truly value their approach to care and their commitment to ensuring continuous, ongoing support for their patients. The EHI returns to the same locations and clinics each year and maintains electronic medical records for all patients that we see. This ensures continuity of care, which is especially critical for managing chronic conditions like glaucoma. This model guarantees that the impact of our efforts extends beyond a single visit, fostering long-term health improvements and building trust within the communities we serve,” Furtado says.
The trip didn’t come without challenges. The group travels to Jamaica only a few times a year, meaning that equipment sits unattended in the clinic areas between visits. Many of the instruments are highly sensitive to temperature and humidity, so ensuring they stay in usable condition is a constant concern. In recent years, the EHI team has started to use temperature-controlled shipping containers to regulate equipment environment. Some of these containers have also been converted into modular clinics to allow patient care and surgeries to take place in remote locations.
Despite the challenges, Furtado, Cuscito and Borho say their volunteer work in Jamaica is about more than providing medical care – it’s about improving patients' quality of life.
“I feel fortunate to have been able to participate in this Jamaica trip and look forward to volunteering with many more trips like this in the future,” says Cuscito. “I would highly encourage students to get involved in any type of outreach, whether it be local or international. It’s a rewarding experience that has truly been the highlight of my optometry school experience.”