This project will contribute to fight against blindness in the Dominican Republic and improve the visual health of its inhabitants, especially those living in poverty in La Altagracia province, through the creation of an ophthalmological center in the community of Veron that will benefit to more than 273,000 inhabitants, thanks to the alliance with Fundacion Incivi, which has been partnering with Fundacion Grupo Puntacana for the last 6 years in the Ophthalmologic Mission Trips Project
In the Dominican Republic, the estimated blind population is about 33,000, 18-65 age range, 80 percent of the cases are caused by preventable or curable causes. The costs of education, rehabilitation and loss of productivity due to blindness have a significant impact on individuals, families, communities and the country. Thousands of underserved patients in La Altagracia province are not able to afford eye care services, so there is a risk of that the blind population will increase.
A sustainable ophthalmologic center is being created in the community of Veron, La Altagracia Province, which will have suitable facilities and equipment as well as capable staff to serve the population living in situation of poverty. It will offer outpatient consultations, optometry services, visual evaluations and surgical interventions, among others. In addition, it will serve as a training center for medical students, technicians and professionals in the visual sciences.
This project will bring the following benefits to the more than 273,000 residents at La Altagracia province: Decreased socio-economic cost of blindness, substantial improvement of the life conditions of the beneficiary patients and their families, contribution to the development of the visual sciences in terms of research, better professional practices and training of the human resources and the impulse a network of sustainable ophthalmologic centers throughout the country in the medium term
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
