Deployed medics provide care to locals

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Will Ackerman
  • 409th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
TBILISI, Georgia (AFPN) --  Airmen deployed from the 86th Medical Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, are treating villagers in nearby Sartichala and Ponichala who have eye problems.

The treatments were part of a humanitarian civic assistance program that the 86th MDG staff conducted at clinics in each village during a multinational exercise that was in progress near here, Sept. 8 through 20.

Many locals do not earn enough money to afford regular medical care. But at least 250 Georgians will regain their sight, with either new eyeglasses or through cataract eye surgery, according to Tech. Sgt. Antonio Johnson, from the 86th MDG.

“We had one patient who hadn’t had their prescription updated in 15 years,” he said.

Johnson hands out tickets daily to people on a first-come, first-served basis -- half in the morning, half after lunch. The tickets entitled the holder to an optometry screening. He said he distributes 35 each day because that is what the local contracted optician can handle.

Johnson and the rest of the optometrists here test the patients’ vision.

If glasses are needed, the patients select a frame from six styles available. For some, it is a life-changing experience.

“To them, they don’t see a tree; they see a green blob,” said Staff Sgt. Monique Hudson, also deployed from Ramstein. “All of a sudden, they see the leaves on the tree.”

But some villagers are beyond needing eyeglasses; many elderly people here are blind from cataracts. Ukrainian and Bulgarian ophthalmologists working with the Americans use penlights to conduct screenings at the gates. To be eligible for cataract surgery here, the patient must have advanced cataracts, said Col. William Flynn, an ophthalmologist from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He performed surgery at the Sartichala Clinic.

“They have to be blind in both eyes to receive the surgery,” Flynn said.

After being prescreened, the patient sees Col. Paula Springer, a reservist based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., who is a certified registered nurse anesthetist. She conducts preoperative procedures, including a brief medical history on each patient to ensure he or she are medically stable to withstand a medical surgery. Then she explains through an interpreter the risks of the procedure. Because the surgery involves the eye, and the patient is awake under local anesthesia, Springer explains they need to stay still for one to three hours.

Of 30 surgeries performed here, the success rate is close to 100 percent, Flynn said. Patients return the day after surgery to have their eye bandages removed. For many, that is the day when they will see clearly for the first time in years.

For Alazov Orojal, a 66-year-old patient from Sartichala, the day after his surgery was a “great” day.

“Being able to see again; it will be great,” he said. “I thank the U.S. military because we have no money (for surgery).”

“(The best part is) having the opportunity to cure blindness,” Flynn said.

They deployed medical staff here said the experience was rewarding.

“Coming over here … it’s been an awesome experience,” Johnson said. “The (best parts are) giving out glasses and seeing you’ve made a difference.”