Eye Spy

**Note: I wrote this a little while ago. I'm know I'm behind in my posts, but I'll update ASAP.

** Note 2: THANK YOU DONNA for all the treats for my puppy! I love the leash and its so fitting. I can't wait to take the treats home for her to enjoy. Also thanks to my awesome older sister for the care package. I'll be home in a little over a month =).

So far, 2011 has been a ridiculously busy year, with a lot of traveling in and out of village. Late January, I went to Tamba to help at the "Right to Sight" eye clinic. It was the most tiring week of my LIFE (in Senegal). The eye clinic began on Monday, January 24, which meant that I had to be in Tamba the night before. We began with a brief meeting with the two doctors, two nurses, and an optometrist (a fellow volunteer's dad). We broke down the roles that we were playing and divided up into groups: Operating room, Pre-Op, Clinic, and Eyeglasses room. I signed up to be in the Pre-Op room. BEST DECISION EVER!

Dilating an Eye

My job was to dilate patient's eyes and prep them for surgery. That included putting a series of eye drops in the eye that was to be operated on and taking their blood pressure. After that, I would inform the patient of the procedure and make sure that they understood directions (all in Pulaar). There were two operating tables in the OR, which meant that we usually had two patients prepped and ready to go. The eye clinic's primary operation is to remove cataracts, which meant that the majority of patients were over the age of 60. We made sure that the patients went to the restroom before entering the OR and before we "blocked" them. Blocking is a procedure where the doctors inject an anesthetic solution below the eye socket. If injected correctly, a few of the cranial nerves (including the optic nerve) become paralyzed and you can tell when the eye swells and the patient is no longer able to keep his or her eyelid open.

Prepping the eye to be "Blocked"

When there was a free operating table, we would robe the patient and take them into the operating room. My job also included searching for the correct lens size for the operation. I was able to watch multiple cataract removals and it was SO cool. There was one operating bed with a teaching scope attached, so I was able to watch as the doctor operated. He walked me through each step and explained everything. I was fascinated and asked a lot of annoying questions. The great thing about the pre-op room was that I was able to watch a surgery or two each day. When the two last people of the day were in the OR, my job was essentially done, so I became the annoying girl asking questions.

The eye clinic was so much work- It felt like having a real job again. We were at the hospital from 8am to 6:30pm (OY). In village, I work and have meetings, but I’m not on my feet for hours on end. My body (especially my feet) wasn't used to running around in this type of environment. Every night, we returned to the regional house, showered, cooked dinner, watched a movie, and went to bed. SO TIRING.

All in all, it was a very rewarding experience and I'm glad that I was able to help out. I had a great balance of working with patients and seeing what the doctors did. I learned a lot and I hope that I will be able to work with them again. In the coming weeks, I hope to talk with the Kolda regional hospital and the doctors to see if it would be possible to bring the clinic here. Inshallah it will happen!

--Peace & Sight