On January 5th, 2018 a group of 12 students including myself from MCPHS University School of Optometry took off to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua alongside VOSH Connecticut, SUNY School of Optometry, and Berkeley School of Optometry for a mission trip. We provided eye care to 4,688 patients, a record for this group who has been running this mission for 19 years! I’m fortunate that this was my second opportunity to participate in this trip, this time as the President of our local SVOSH chapter at MCPHS.
I’m sure that those who participated with me last year and especially this year can agree that a trip like this shows how important our profession is locally and globally. SVOSH is all about providing eye care to people worldwide and we had the unique opportunity to do that in Nicaragua. The biggest takeaway from an experience like this is that we have the power to make a difference in someone’s life, from something as simple as providing glasses to catching and treating glaucoma. I truly hope that everyone reading this is inspired to travel locally and abroad to help those in need of all that we as future optometrists have to offer.
[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuEHKZvKpGI&feature=youtu.be” title=”The%20Trip%20of%20a%20Lifetime%20Nicaragua%20Mission%20Trip%202018%20MCPHS%20Optometry” autohide=”0″]
