SOSH (Students in Optometric Service to Humanity) members from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, accompanied by TEI's Dr. J. Mark Snyder and former TEI resident, Dr. Audrey Chen, collaborated with a medical team to provide four remote villages of El Salvador with eye, vision and medical care from July 1 - 8.

    SOSH participants on the trip included: Joni Feldbaum, Danah Harbi, Nicole Kershner, Anisha Patel, Jennifer Sedaghati, Ryan Hayes, Michael Greenaway, Trinh Vo, Jennifer Zerfass and SOSH officers Eileen Howard, Fatima Gowa, Sara Murphy Bierwerth, Angela Yang, Dixita Patel, and myself -  all Class of 2012,and Jillian Bolton '13.  

        With the direction and guidance of the Comandos de Salvamento, the team took their humanitarian mission to the villages of Tecapan, Alegria, Puerto Parada, and Juayan. Members treated 516 patients ranging from age 1 to 89 years, referred three for surgery/further evaluation, and brought back six spectacle prescriptions to make and send back. Every patient received a new pair of sunglasses and new reading glasses, and prescription glasses were dispensed as needed.

      Thanks to the countless hours that members spent fundraising over the past year, SOSH donated approximately 1,000 pairs of reading glasses, along with antibiotic eye drop solution for use on future Commandos de Salvamento missions.

      Additionally, data was collected in an effort to track and enhance the positive impact these procedures and dispensing have on the communities visited. These data assist other public health organizations to become more effective at helping build our global community.

      Highlights from our trip include the men, women, and children of Puerto Parada, who trekked through 3.5 feet of stagnant water that flooded their streets in order to reach our quarters for medical attention. Despite the hours waiting in line to be seen, every person embraced us in a positive and hospitable light.

        The lives of the SOSH members were forever changed as dramatically as the lives of the patients they served. The social and economic toll of poverty on those patients, their families, and their communities is immeasurable.

      SOSH members sincerely appreciate their classmates, colleagues, and the faculty, alumni, and businesses that have supported, and continue to support the SOSH mission. A special thanks to Jim, Larry and the entire Reflections Café team for their invaluable support and generosity throughout our months of fundraising.