Eye experts visit Lihir

TWO eye clinicians are on Lihir Island in New Ireland to screen patients and conduct awareness on eye and vision conditions.
Ophthalmic clinician, Shirley Lalen and eye care nurse Merelyn Aruke arrived last Friday.
Lalen who is the officer in charge of the eye care clinic at Kavieng general hospital said patient screening and awareness would take up to seven days.
She said they would also conduct eye checks and issue glasses where necessary and visit past surgery patients and identify new ones with eye conditions that required surgery.
“Our visit will take us right around Lihir, including the outer Malie Isand,” said Lalen.
She said when returned to Kavieng they would prepare for the actual surgical operations which would start on Sept 26.
Lalen said the eye-care outreach programme was conducted annually as and when necessary.
She said many of the success stories were so wonderful which brings tears of joy to them when they saw their patients walking and working without the help of relatives or walking aides.
Lalen said Fred Hollows Foundation office in Madang had greatly assisted PNG eye-care professionals with training and the provision of equipment.
“The amount of funding spent on healthcare in this country is very limited, not much funding is made available to provide eye care services or to train eye care providers.”
She said rural and urban health facilities still lacked resources like equipment, staff and drugs.
“It is only through the involvement of people such as the Fred Hollows Foundation that we are able to deliver to our people,” Lalen said.
The visit to Lihir Island was made possible with the support of the Lihir Islands Community Health Programme and the Lihir Mining Area Landowners Association.