Back to Basics
Martin Runs Eye Clinic for Nicaraguan Refugees in Costa Rica
by Ann Hopkins
Spring break” and “landfill” don’t often appear in the same sentence – unless you were part of the dedicated group that traveled to a refugee camp for nearly 100,000 Nicaraguans in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica.
It was there that 45 high school seniors, 7 teachers and 9 parents – including an ophthalmologist from Wake Forest University Eye Center and two other doctors – worked in March when many other students and families were taking spring breaks . They held medical clinics, did construction work and had camps for children in the community of La Carpio, a former city dump that is physically about the size of Lewisville, NC.
This is the sixth year that Calvary Baptist Day School (CBDS) has taken the high school’s senior class, who work closely in conjunction with a local church in Costa Rica. One parent on the trip was Timothy J. Martin, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, who ran an eye clinic and brought with him boxes of eyeglasses and sunglasses from a Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, and supplies and borrowed equipment from the WFU Eye Center.
Timothy Martin, MD, student Lea L. Edwards, a patient and translator Tevi Dahner, a spanish teacher at CBDS.
Dr. Martin, whose daughter Elizabeth is a CBDS senior, said that while Costa Ricans have good health care and a high standard of living, the Nicaraguan refugees do not.
The students brought down trunks loaded with items they had collected, including construction supplies and equipment, prescription medications, over the counter medicines, and toys and school supplies.
When Dr. Martin was first preparing for the trip, he called a local Lions Club member, who directed him to the eyeglasses recycling center in Virginia. That center gave him 600 pairs of glasses that had been cleaned, repaired and marked with the specific measurements, and then carefully packaged and boxed.
Dr Martin looks through boxes of eyeglasses supplied by the Lion's Club Eyeglasses Recycling Center in Virginia.
“The Lions also gave me the names of people who had done eye clinics like this before,” Dr. Martin said. “Initially, I naively thought that I would be doing what I do here, diagnosing and treating eye diseases. But very quickly after a few phone calls I realized that the biggest service we could provide was to fit people for glasses. A needed pair of glasses would have an enormous impact on a person’s life for many years to come. More sophisticated treatment is just not practical for a brief medical mission.”
Dr. Martin saw about 200 patients, with the assistance of students, parents and teachers, including Tevy Dahmer, a Spanish teacher at CBDS, who acted as an interpreter.
“We took basic diagnostic equipment, as well as a retinoscope and lens bar to fit glasses the ‘old fashioned’ way, without devices such as an autorefractor or a Phoropter,” Dr. Martin said.
“In addition to the standard refractive errors, it was also good to be able to give reading glasses for presbyopic adults, especially in a culture where activities such as sewing and handiwork are so important.”
In addition to fitting glasses, patients also received an ophthalmologic examination. Cataracts were common, but the resources for cataract surgery and other procedures are not currently available.
Elizabeth Martin helps a patient read the eye chart.
“What these folks really needed were the basics. Overthe-counter medicines and vitamins were probably far more significant than the prescription drugs,” Dr. Martin said. “Things we take for granted, like children’s vitamins and Tylenol, they don’t have,” he said.
The other two general medical doctors, who gave examinations in a separate clinic, were able to dispense prescription medicines and treat a variety of other medical problems.
“The problem was that you would have people with high blood pressure who need medicine throughout the year, not just for the week,” Dr. Martin said. “In that case, the doctors would write a prescription. The pastor of the church (Huberth Cisneros) arranged for the leftover medications to be taken to the local pharmacy. The local pharmacist agreed that he would give these free medications to the people from La Carpio who had prescriptions.”
Dr. Martin said that one of the best things that happened occurred when the Costa Rican Minister of Health visited. “He was very interested in arranging for the residents at the local medical school to open up an ongoing clinic in La Carpio.” That would mean that medical care for the refugees would continue on a regular basis.
The students, parents and teachers worked hard for four days. Then they had three days to explore Costa Rica, a tiny Central American country that includes spectacular volcanoes, gorgeous waterfalls and incredible forests.
It was an extremely well-organized trip. “Fortunately, I have an opportunity to return in two years when my son will make the same senior trip,” Dr. Martin said. The students did a great job of collecting items to take to Costa Rica, as well as raising additional funds for the trip. It was great experience for them, Dr. Martin said. “We are certainly indebted to the generosity and ministry of the Lions Club and for the support of Wake Forest University Eye Center in this successful endeavor.”