Dear Fabulous Readers,

Lately I have seen magnificent videos on social media of babies and toddlers getting glasses, and the joy in their faces seeing their surroundings and loved ones for the first time. Many opticians reply, “This is why we do what we do,” and Ms. Specs wholeheartedly agrees! I was reminded of a similar experience I had at an eyecare mission in Jamaica and wanted to share the story of “Baby ESO” with you.

iCARE Great Shapes, Inc. organizes eye-care mission trips in Jamaica. Our college (HCC in Tampa, Fla.) fully supports community service projects, and we have participated with opticianry faculty and students for years. One of my favorite experiences there was with Baby ESO and his mom. The volunteer opticians, ODs, OMDs and RNs travel together to the venue clinic, which has typically been in a large church in a rural area, “in the branches” as a local Jamaican once said. We work with the Ministry of Health, and one of their representatives is with us, helping us connect with the most urgent cases. When we see a person who has extremely limited sight, particularly when they are very old or very young, we let them know that the representative will be guiding them into the in-take area sooner rather than later.

When I spotted this adorable baby on his mother’s hip, I could see from afar that he had extreme esophoria. I approached and told her that we would be bringing them in soon. My friend and colleague happened to take a shot of me talking with her. When you look closely, it is clear that he needs glasses to help him focus and straighten his eyes. There are hundreds of patients who go through the clinic daily. The chances of seeing a patient at in-take in the morning and then later in the dispensary are low, as we rotate doing different tasks throughout the days.

After seeing the doctors, mother and baby entered our dispensary with an Rx of +4.00D OU. The challenge was finding a frame small enough and hand edging the lenses, as we did not have a proper edger. My role at that moment was working in the lab along with Tom Hicks. It took a while, but Tom was able to hand edge the +4.00s into the very small eye size. The best frame on hand fit in the front, but the temples were much too long.

Initially, Tom and I did not do the dispense, but it started to rain, so some of the patients stayed in the dispensary until the rain stopped. I noticed Baby ESO sitting on his mother’s lap, with the glasses sliding down on his nose. The dispensing optician tried to make the long skull temples into a riding bow. This is nearly impossible, and I could see that Baby ESO was looking above the glasses, with his eyes turning in. This was not going to work.

At first, it was tough getting the eyeglasses on him. After several attempts and exaggerated smiles and laughter, he allowed them to stay on his face. And yes, he had that amazing expression that we all hold so dear. As we did not have the proper tools to shorten the temples, we adjusted them as best as possible with a skull bend, and Tom donated the sunglass holder strap he had in his backpack. We taught his mother how to use the strap and gently tighten it so that the glasses would stay up on his nose. We stressed how important it is that he always looks through the lenses for the full benefit. Once the glasses were snug and comfortable, Baby ESO gave us the biggest smile! An added bonus: He jumped from his mother’s arms to mine and gave me a big hug around my neck. Of course, Ms. Specs got a little emotional.

After wearing the glasses properly for an hour, you could see his eyes start to straighten. This is clear in his “after” picture. One of my favorite quotes from the National Education Association is “We learn to read until the fourth grade, and then we read to learn for the rest of our lives.” Now he will be a good reader. Then he will learn. A better future obtained with the simple solution of a pair of eyeglasses and a proper adjustment.

Dear readers, if you ever have the opportunity to volunteer at an eyecare event, whether it be a mission trip far from home or a Special Olympics or Remote Area Medical clinic, jump on it! Something we take for granted, proper sight with specs, is unattainable for many. It is a life-changing experience for all. Have you volunteered on an eyecare mission trip or local event? Ms. Specs would love to hear about it!

See Well and Be Well,
Ms. Specs in the City
Laurie Pierce, ABOM