It turns out living in paradise has its drawbacks. Residents of Christmas Island in the Pacific are prone to a “surfer’s disease” caused by exposure to dust, wind, and abundant sunlight. Medical Eye Center surgeons Dr. Paul Imperia and Dr. Paul Jorizzo noticed the situation on a fishing trip years ago. Now they return on
In August 2015, Medical Eye Center ophthalmologists Paul Jorrizo, MD, and Paul Imperia, MD along with optometrist Rory Murphy, OD are traveling to Christmas Island (also known as Kiritimati) in August to perform more than 120 life-changing eye surgeries that will treat debilitating eye diseases in the local population. Click to read the full article.
Maintaining ophthalmic equipment is vital for any hospital, especially where services are few and far between. Keith Shirley, Medical Eye Center’s biomedical engineer, recently traveled to Ethiopia to provide two weeks of training to local biomedical maintenance technicians. On behalf of the Himalayan Cataract Project, Keith worked with nine local technicians at five institutions to
On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the Himalayan country of Nepal. The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) is taking a leading role in the medical and humanitarian relief efforts throughout the country. HCP has been providing medical services in Nepal for over 20 years. Their remote eye teams have a long-term relationship with many
On June 6th, Dr. Matt Oliva was awarded the 2014 University of Washington School of Medicine Alumni Humanitarian award. Watch a video that played at the ceremony: As a medical student, Dr. Matt Oliva did a rotation in Nepal. There, he saw an international team perform 300 cataract surgeries in four days. “It was the
Every community has individuals who are called to take on global challenges and make a difference in the world. Jefferson Public Radio’s Jeff Golden interviews Medical Eye Center’s Dr. Matt Oliva about his experiences with the The Himalayan Cataract Project. Watch the interview
Medical Eye Center Doctor restores eyesight in Africa and trains African doctor here in Medford It takes a village—a global village—to improve health care around the world. And Medford doctor Matt Oliva of Medical Eye Center (MEC) is doing his part. Together with the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP), he is striving to promote self-sufficient eye
by Dr. Matt Oliva Blindness exerts an incredible toll in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, in terms of both human suffering and adverse economic impact. Due to environmental conditions, malnutrition and vitamin deficiency, ocular infections, trauma and lack of access to care, some of the world’s highest rates of blindness exist in this arid and
Read The Mail Tribune’s article about Dr. Matt Oliva’s work with the Himalayan Cataract Project. On the board of directors since 2006, Dr. Oliva is currently director of African programs. He travels the globe helping restore vision to people in poor, rural communities. “There are 18 million people in the world that are blind in
Second Suns tells the story of the Himalayan Cataract Project’s work restoring vision to people in the poorest communities of Asia and Africa. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness globally and can be treated with a 10-minute surgery. In wealthy countries, surgery is readily available and cataracts typically are removed when there is mild
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