NJ Eye Surgeons Travel to Guatemala on Missionary Trip

“ Two NJ eye surgeons of the Atlantic Eye Physicians group recently traveled to Guatemala during a missionary trip to help restore sight to 275 patients. ”

Share on            

Email Friend     Contact Author

(iHealthWire.Org) – Two renowned NJ eye surgeons, Dr Robert Fegan and Dr Ronald Kristan of Atlantic Eye Physicians, traveled to Guatemala during a missionary trip to bring state-of-the-art advancements in vision correction to the underdeveloped regions of Guatemala.

The NJ eye surgeons saw a total of 275 men, women and children at the remote Hospital de la Familia in southwestern Guatemala. Most suffered from correctable, common vision impairments such as cataracts. A total of 50 major surgical procedures were performed over the course of just 5 days.

Dr. Fegan and Dr. Kristan recently returned home from their mission that they described as humbling and heart warming. “Many of the patients we saw had to walk for days to reach the Hospital,” says Dr. Fegan, “even still, they were warm and friendly, and very appreciate of the medical care we were able to provide.”

Hospital de la Familia is located in Nuevo Progreso, in the state of San Marcos in southwestern Guatemala. It is accessible only by a 5-hour bus ride over bumpy, rutted roads from Guatemala City, after a 8-hour flight from the U.S. About 2,500 people live there with 25,000 more in the surrounding villages. Unemployment is around 50% with some finding work on the coffee plantations and the rest marginally self-supporting, living on the land. Major surgical procedures are provided by volunteer U.S. surgical teams like Dr. Fegan and Dr. Kristan, sent by the Hospital de la Familia Foundation in February, May, August and November for 2-week stays.

According to Dr. Kristan, missionary trips such as the one coordinated by Hospital de la Familia represent important milestones for the people of such underdeveloped regions. “Many of the patients we saw have been living with impaired vision for the majority of their lives, whereas here in the US, these common eye diseases can be corrected very shortly after a problem is diagnosed. For some, this is the first time they are seeing correctly in years.”

Those interested in learning more about the Hospital de la Familia can visit their website online as well as make donations. The website is http://www.hospitaldelafamilia.com

About Atlantic Eye Physicians:

Atlantic Eye Physicians is New Jersey’s leading practice for comprehensive eye care and surgery. Their group of doctors has provided the highest quality vision care for over 50 years to hundreds of thousands of patients. The group offers the latest advancements in modern-day vision health including advanced custom cataract surgery, laser vision correction, corneal transplant surgery and DSEK, as well as Eye Plastic Surgery. They are also sought out for their expertise in glaucoma evaluations, laser therapy, retinal care for diabetes and macular degeneration.

Atlantic Eye Physicians has three convenient locations in Monmouth County NJ: Long Branch, Little Silver, and Holmdel. To learn more, visit http://www.atlanticeyephysicians.com