The eye clinic has seen about 600 children in the past 2 days.
We improved our testing of the children that are faking the vision screening to get glasses. We now have "magic glasses" which look like normal glasses but have no prescription. If one of the docs has scoped and determined that the child has little or no refractive error, and still the child can't see the big letters on the eye chart, we put on the magic glasses and miraculously the child can see 20/20.... they're busted!!
Interestingly, we have seen 3 albino children in the past 2 days. Albinos typically have very poor eyesight because the lack of pigment impedes the development of the eyes. They also are very light sensitive which is not a good trait to have in equatorial Africa. We were able to give these albino children prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses as well as several pairs of large sunglasses that fit over regular glasses. I suspect that there is quite a stigma for an albino child in African society as it appears that the very dark African mother has given birth to a white child.
Another intereting case we saw was a younger child ( about 10 years old) who had cataract surgery when young but did not receive a lens implant and received no glasses. He has essentially been blind since the surgery without having glasses and glasses will improve his vision to at least 20/40. This will make such a difference in this child's life!!
