Christmas Mission #MOС

Our Christmas mission to southern Ukraine was about vision and self-care — about the opportunity to see the people you love.

Key results of the mission:

• 4 days of work;

• 145 patients seen;

• 79 pairs of glasses provided;

• 108 bottles of eye drops distributed.

The most common complaints included age-related vision changes, eye strain and fatigue caused by prolonged use of digital devices, dry eyes, and elevated intraocular pressure — a risk factor for glaucoma.

Patients aged 60+ reported complaints typical for their age:

• blurred vision;

• “haze” or foggy vision;

• a feeling of a film over the eyes;

• floaters;

• difficulty seeing up close.

  
  

In 15% of patients, we identified glaucoma or suspected glaucoma. In previous missions, this figure did not exceed 2%.

This time, many of the people we saw had been neglecting their eye health — even though early detection can make a real difference. In many cases, the disease can be slowed or stopped, appropriate medication can be prescribed, and vision can be preserved at 50% or 70% rather than allowing it to deteriorate to 30% or less.

Early attention can help prevent the situation from reaching the point of no return.

We hope our visit will be a good reason for people to start taking better care of their eye health and to follow their doctors’ recommendations diligently.