Vision Centre Day Surgery clinical nurse, Marianne McCutcheon, has worked since 2007 with the Lions Club eye care program in Vietnam. In February 2009, to assist with that program, Vision Centre donated both a Phacoemulsifer Machine and a Humphrey Field Vision Test Unit for use in Vietnam.

  Modern cataract surgery is made possible by the use of the complex phacoemulsifier. It breaks the cataract into tiny pieces and then suctions those pieces from the eye through a very small incision. Prior to the development of the phaco machine, a cataract was normally removed in one piece, requiring a larger incision, sutures, and more trauma to the eye. The phacoemulsification procedure is also faster, usually requiring less than 15 minutes per eye.

  The donations were made after Marianne provided the following synopsis of the project in Vietnam and her involvement with that project. It makes for very interesting reading:

Marianne McCutcheon
Clinical Nurse
Vision Centre Day Surgery
November 2008

"For the past 2 years I have been associated with The Vietnam Vision Project (VVP) performing cataract surgery on the under privileged people of rural Vietnam.

"The members of the VVP fled the country in the 1970's and 1980's to escape war and persecution. They arrived in Australia as refugees with nothing but the clothing they were wearing. Over the years they studied and graduated from universities with degrees in medicine, engineering and business, but they never forgot their grass-roots and now fundraise together with Rotary International and return each year to Vietnam to provide cataract surgery to the poor.

"To accomplish this goal requires enormous effort from all the people involved and it must be pointed out the work is all for charity and donated in their own time. The team consists of a Project Manager, Operating Team, Optometrists, GP's, Dispensary, Admin Staff, Patient Transfer, Logistic Support, Video and Photography.

"Liaising with the Vietnamese Government and local Hospital Representatives is a challenge within itself. The Hospital Representatives are responsible for informing and recruiting patients, as well as preparing the local Hospital to accommodate the arrival for the VVP Team.

"The criteria for patient selection are:

• 1. Operations will only be conducted for the poor and internally displaced without discrimination on the grounds of religion or ethnicity.
• 2. Only blindness from cataracts and not from other eye conditions will be treated.
• 3. Priority will be given to those living in rural areas.
• 4. Priority shall be given to those who have not previously received assistance for cataract surgery.

"This screening process is vitally important as the country has a population of 83 million and our service can only stretch so far. Through fund raising and generous donations we purchase all our own stock to transport to Vietnam. Many of the Hospitals have very little or no infrastructure for us to work with. The ophthalmic companies eg. Alcon, Bausch & Lomb and many others support the program with great enthusiasm, donating intra-ocular lenses, visco-elastic, drapes, drugs and much more.

"When travelling and working in Vietnam we work with a team from the Saigon Eye Hospital in District 9. These people are young dedicated Ophthalmologists and Operating Room Nurses who provide us with support and help us with translation. It is great to be able to share our knowledge with them and they are so grateful.

"The Operating Room in Vietnam is back to basics. Very few products are disposable and some that are, are reused over and over until they are unrecognizable. All drapes, gowns and equipment covers are fabric/cloth. The autoclaves that I have experienced for wrapped articles are downward displacements and for "quick" cycles its boiling water tanks and the instruments get a quick dunk. VVP now has 2 bench top autoclaves so we are able to keep the steady flow of sterilisation at a high standard for best outcome for our patients."

Marianne McCutcheon

Cambodia

MARIANNE IN CAMBODIA
October-November 2008

  Marianne also wrote: "I was very fortunate this year to travel into Cambodia to operate there. This was the first year VVP and Rotary had provided the service in that country. It proved to be highly successful. Over 2 days we did 91 phaco procedures ... The team had the ability to do more, but our supplies were exhausted."

  Marianne worked with Case, another Vision Centre ophthalmic nurse, in the Cambodia Vision eye program. Cambodia Vision was also assisted by volunteers representing Alcon, a lens manufacturer, and various Rotary clubs. Nurses and eye doctors from Australia volunteered alongside local nurses and doctors from Cambodia.

"The team has successfully been providing cataract surgery in Vietnam for six years, however returning in 2009 could prove to be our most biggest challenge due to the global economical downturn. The VVP has only been able to achieve successful results through the support of the individuals, community groups, organisations and companies. The enormous support has given us encouragement and confidence to continue planning subsequent trips."

Marianne McCutcheon