I work with ACE Global, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is working to eradicate preventable blindness in Honduras and other Central American countries. Vision impairment and blindness affect 1.1 billion people worldwide, and over 80% of that is treatable or preventable. The vast majority of this vision loss is in the developing world and it is largely due to a lack of access to eye care. At ACE Global, our goal is to train Honduran ophthalmologists who will then train other ophthalmologists, ultimately building a sustainable, robust eyecare system delivering care to Hondurans by Hondurans. My role in this organization is to study the impact that we are having, to help the organization learn from that analysis, and then to guide the use of evidence-based changes to increase the effectiveness of our programs. My first study showed that we can effectively train surgeons from a distance using high-resolution cameras and free streaming services. Another study I supervised (not yet published) mapped eyecare services throughout Honduras in order to target our development to areas where eyecare is most needed. Another study that just concluded looked at the emotional and economic impact of cataract surgery. One of the interesting and troubling findings from this last study is that before cataract surgery, most subjects reported that their vision affected their ability to work. Post-operatively, 75% of subjects reported that their vision STILL affected their ability to work. This is a problem - we thought we fixed their eyes by removing their cataracts. Why is their vision still affecting their ability to work? I have a theory that might explain this finding: many of these patients just need reading glasses. We do not typically provide reading glasses post-operatively as they are very easy to buy in most places of the world. (You may have experienced both the need for these glasses AND the ease with which you can buy them.) But our patients have very few resources, and they may not have the ability to buy even these inexpensive glasses after surgery. And for many people, 'working' involves near work. In fact, it has been shown that a simple pair of reading glasses increases worker productivity by 21% among agricultural workers in India. So one of the Honduran fellows in our program (Dr. Raquel Wong) and I are planning our next study: does GIVING a pair of reading glasses to people after cataract surgery decrease their post-operative problems with vision? Maybe giving reading glasses post-operatively should be the standard of care in the developing world, but pushing for that change requires evidence. And this is where you come in. All of my work so far in Honduras has been as a volunteer (in fact, most of us are volunteers) but doing a study like this requires money. For this study, I need the following: 150 pairs of reading glasses and two refurbished iPads. $1500 will cover these expenses and make the study possible. Things you will get: a tax write-off, updates on my progress, and my eternal gratitude. Thank you so much for considering giving to ACE Global to fund this project. If you are interested in learning more, the ACE Global site explains the entire organization in much greater detail. We also have other research projects that we would like to do, and any support beyond $1500 will go to support those efforts. Sara
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