The volunteers who worked the eye clinic in Leon did a fantastic job. I visited twice, helping for a few hours the second time, and it truly was impressive how many people we were able to help in a short amount of time. It was hot, there was no air conditioning, and every day there was a long line of people of all ages hoping to come away with clearer vision.

After waiting in the long line, the hopeful patrons were examined. Volunteers were trained to use to auto refractometer to obtain an approximate prescription.

Next they were brought into a larger room with a long table, where the volunteers fitted them for glasses. When someone took too long choosing and obviously cared more about the look of the glasses then how they saw through them, Skip would ring a bell and call him or her a diva. This is what had just transpired in the photo below.

Donations of glasses were organized according to prescription into bins for easy access. The volunteers would simply grab a bin and see which pair worked.

Here’s a snapshot of me with some people at the eye clinic. It was nice working there for a few hours, because I was able to interact with the patients more than in surgery. I also got a chance to practice my Spanish a lot more.

The beautiful moment was when a happy customer found a pair he or she liked- it is a simple tool that can greatly change someone’s life. This was the moment that was filled with wide eyes and smiles.

We gave out some 1200 pairs of glasses. Being the visual person that I am, it was a wonderful experience to help people see the world better or to help them read again.