Eye Camp, Central Nallamala Forest – Feb 2018
Our first comprehensive eye camp was a great success, screening over 500 people. We chose the villages of Chinthala, Thummalabailu, Marripalem, and Peddacheruvu, because they were the highest visibility villages, and we had significant relationships with the community members already.
Prior to conducting our clinic, we met with other organizational leaders who were conducting a training program for Chenchu community health workers to spread awareness about the importance of eye exams. We also met informally with community members to verify that our plan was feasible.
We conducted the screenings on school grounds – first we screened the adults in the village, and at the end of the day, we performed vision screening and refraction for all the children.
Harsha re-connected with an old friend from his tiger research days in 1999 who had since developed a cataract that needed surgery.
Summary of Central Nallamala Comprehensive Eye camp
Overview of screening
| Village | # screened | #eyeglasses (Dist/Near) | #surgeries screened | # surgeries performed |
| Chinthala | 162 | 54 (20/34) | 14 | 8 |
| Thumbailu | 114 | 29 (6/23) | 13 | 5 |
| Marripalem | 120 | 24 (9/15) | 7 | 5 |
| Dornala | 40 | 19 (3/16) | 1 | 0 |
| Peccheruvu | 64 | 10 (2/8) | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 500 | 136 (40/96) | 38 | 19 |
Details of surgical cases
| Type of surgery | # screened | # performed |
| Cataract surgery – SICS technique | 23 | 12 |
| Cataract surgery – Phaco technique | 9 | 5 |
| Pterygium excision | 3 | 1 |
| Intraocular lens reposition + vitrectomy | 3 | 1 |
| YAG Peripheral iridotomy | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 39 | 19 |
Surgical results
Our patients had excellent surgical results. Of the 19 patients who underwent cataract surgery, 17/19 had best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better at 1 week after surgery. One patient had vision of 20/60, and one patient had vision worse than 20/60 due to pre-existing retinal disease.