Lesotho is a land lock country in South Africa with very few providers capable of delivering eye care. We plan to strengthen clinical capacity in Lesotho by providing hands on training to health professionals and resources (glasses, readers, eyedrops, and more) that would otherwise be unavailable. We also plan to perform surgical procedures (cataract surgery, strabismus surgery, and more) for patients who are experiencing preventable vision loss. Lesotho is known as the mountain kingdom, with its turbulent terrain, vision is crucial to navigating daily life. This trip will hopefully equip local health professionals to take care of patients even after we’ve left and is essential to ensuring sustainability and that patients can still receive adequate eye care.
This project will hopefully benefit the Lesotho health care professionals we train and the patients who are in need of their care. This trip will also benefit us by allowing to teach valuable skills and make positive changes in others lives. Lesotho is a country with limited resources and one where only a handful of eye care professionals exist. It is also a country that is often overlooked.
Our program has built an alliance with the community and hope to continue to support their efforts to improve health care.
As the second-largest district in Lesotho, Leribe is a region defined by scenic landscapes juxtaposed with extreme climate volatility and economic stagnation. For rural families, the cycle of severe drought and frost, frequently decimates crops and livestock, deepening the crisis of food insecurity. These environmental hardships are compounded by a lack of diverse employment and significant gaps in healthcare infrastructure. In a nation with fewer than five active ophthalmologists, specialized services are a rare luxury, as many providers seek opportunities abroad. Our arrival was met with immense anticipation; over the course of a short but intensive mission, our team of eight treated more than 500 patients. We performed a range of essential procedures—from cataract and strabismus surgeries to corneal repairs—and distributed reading glasses to a community in desperate need. By integrating seamlessly with local nurses and technicians, we maximized our limited resources to provide high-level care. This experience, defined by mutual learning and service to an underserved population, remains the most rewarding milestone of my career as a resident thus far.
