Photos © Alex Reynolds

ONESIGHT’s commitment to making vision care more accessible to all reached a new level when 44 volunteers set sail on the organization’s first ever boat clinic. Volunteers on two boats provided eyecare services and glasses to more than 2,000 indigenous Amazon River residents who would otherwise have to travel over 24 hours to Manaus, the only city that offers eyecare in the region.

OneSight enlisted the help of three new mobile eyecare technologies designed to work exclusively in remote environments. First, a cutting-edge and binocular auto refractor provided the doctors with more accurate prescriptions in under five seconds. Second, a mobile battery-operated handheld slit lamp biomicroscope enabled doctors to move to the patient with ease, reducing the time and space needed for a usual eye exam. Finally, a tablet-operated head mounted phoropter enabled volunteers to see more patients through accurate technology that utilizes adaptive optics.

Among those helped were Amazon residents Suelen and her 6-year-old daughter Linda. Suelen is a 24-year-old mother and research student who has needed glasses for over 10 years. “With my new glasses I’m confident that I’ll be able to get a good job after I complete my studies,” Suelen shares. Linda also received her first eye exam and glasses at the Amazon clinic, and she is most excited to see her friends’ faces when she plays with them. Also helped was 8-year-old Lucila who lives with her family in a remote community along the Amazon River in Brazil. It’s not always safe to go outside, so instead she spends her days indoors studying Portuguese even though it is difficult with her poor eyesight. When her family heard of OneSight’s clinic visit to a neighboring community they were eager to set sail. With two new pairs of glasses in hand, Lucila rowed away from the boat clinic with a big smile.

“The Amazon clinic showed OneSight’s commitment and capability to respond to vision needs in one of the most remote communities of the world,” states Ian Lane, senior director of Global Programming at OneSight. “We believe that programming innovation and technology will empower OneSight to provide vision care anywhere, anytime and by virtually anybody.”

OneSight’s mobile boat clinics demonstrate that mobile technology will not only enable the organization to see more patients but also emphasize the need for more technology like this. OneSight hopes this will empower a quicker response to critical vision needs around the world.

—Kathryn Burba