Ecuador SVOSH Missions Trip

The missions trip to Ecuador was an amazing experience! We saw many patients, handed out thousands of pairs of glasses and sunglasses, and treated quite a few ocular conditions/diseases.


The first and second days were spent traveling. On the first day we flew into Guayaquil, one of the major cities in Ecuador. The second day was spent traveling to a rural area about five and a half hours away from Guayaquil.

Days three, four, five and six were clinic days. The clinic day started at about 7:00am and finished at around 6:00pm. On day three and four, our group of 40 people split in half and went to two different sites. Each group saw about 370 people both days. On days five and six we combined into one group and saw approximately 700 people each day. Altogether, we were able to give eye exams to about 2800 people!

Each day I saw ocular pathology that is very rare in the United States. Not only was it an incredibly rewarding experience, but I learned much more about certain eye diseases and was able to advance my clinical skills. It was wonderful to give a pair of glasses to a patient and see their smiles when they looked around and were able to see clearly. We also gave out certain medications if necessary, and put them on a surgical waiting list if they had an eye condition we could not treat.

I have many more pictures and stories than what I have described here, and would be happy to share more, just let me know. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! It meant a lot to me and to the people of Manta, Ecuador.