Program areas at Hawaiian Eye Foundation
Direct Care Services. In 2019, HEF sponsored 40 events in total consisting of 6 sub-specialty trainings, 9 Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) trainings, 24 rural surgery missions totaling 209 days in the following 19 countries/locations: Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Palau, Yap, Cook Islands, Tonga, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Tanzania, South Africa, Jamaica and the USA. Conducted 2,178 surgeries and 8,151 examinations. As a part of these expeditions, 1,815 doctors and 386 other volunteer assistants were trained. HEF also supported eye care outreach services in Hawaii with the 3rd Cataract Days Hawaii event conducting 14 surgeries and 56 exams.
Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting (RHEM) is now called Hawaiian Eye & Retina. Since 1984, HEF has been associated with the Annual Hawaiian Eye Meeting, a training conference primarily for US eye surgeons and other professionals associated within Ophthalmology and Optometry. At the January 2019 meeting, HEF coordinated an award presentation, sponsored a workshop for prospective volunteers on Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS), and otherwise promoted international, humanitarian eye work.
Southeast Asia Training Programs. In 2019, ophthalmic training programs were conducted in Yangon, Myanmar. and Bali Indonesia. HEF partnered with the American Eye Center Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City University, along with Hue Central Hospital to conduct 5 Vietnamese American Ophthalmology Symposium (VAOS) meetings throughout 2019 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hue, Viet Nam, attended by approximately 106 Vietnamese eye doctors. Specific events: 3/10-3/15/19 - Oculoplastics - HCMC and Mekong Delta Center - Dr. Philip Custer - 2 surgeries, 8 exams, 32 attendees; 6/1 - 6/9/19 - Cornea and Phaco - Hue - Dr. Ed Kondrot and Dr. Ron Pelton - 52 surgeries, 259 exams, 3 attendees; 7/1-7/5/19-Strabismus and Ptosis - Hanoi - Dr. Kondrot and Dr. Pelton - 24 surgeries,105 exams, 28 attendees; 9/8-9/18/19 - Dr. Shlomo Melamed - Glaucoma - HCMC - Hanoi and Mekong Delta/Can Tho - 17 surgeries, 68 exams, 30 attendees; 9/23-9/27/20 - Phaco-Hue-Dr. Yu and Dr. Tuyen - 50 surgeries, 200 exams, 3 attendees