iSIGHT MISSIONS - Dr. Jeff Rutgard, "Making a Difference in the Eyes of the World."
Dr. Rutgard and friends travel all over the underdeveloped World curing blindness.
KEEP DR. JEFF TRAVELING! Friends, Dr. Jeff Rutgard and his good work is supported by Hawaiian Eye Foundation.
PLEASE DONATE NOW To Hawaiian Eye Foundation!
VOLUNTEER! Great group this trip!
The Eye Ambassador, Dr. Jeff Rutgard (green dress), one accountant, Graeme-who did pre-operative Keratometry and ultrasound testing, one retired businessman
Kees who did operating room circulating and set up, one eye surgical eye nurse who oversaw the entire operating room set up and assisted in all types of eye and plastic surgeries named Ineke.
US ARMY ASSISTS DR. JEFF RUTGARD IN MARSHALL ISLANDS
"We had help from one surgical assistant eye nurse, Jan, one nurse who was taught for the first time to assist in eye surgery, Tim, one optometrist on her first eye outreach mission project, Abigail who did pre-operative and post-operative screening under the guide of Dr. Jeff and taught refractions to the local eye nurse. We had two physiotherapists, Justin and Lisa, one student translator (YWAM) Apeli, and one volunteer translator Sosai, one nurse doing her first outreach as a pre-op eye nurse, Brenda, one school nurse doing her first eye outreach-doing Rutgard Technique post-op care and instructions, Joanne, and the overall mission project coordinator and team leader with Dr. Jeff, Nurse Catherine.Cataract surgeries went well for the eye ambassador, Dr. Jeff Rutgard of La Jolla, California.
March 23, 2011
"Hey guys, thanks for all of your help. I just returned to La Jolla yesterday from an iSight mission. It took 24 hours traveling back. We were able to help many poor and blind in the South Pacific island of Palau. This population of islanders included nearly 100 blind folks who have been blind for about 8-12 years and ranged in age from 40 to 89 years old. Our group handled over 400 examinations. Ultrasound and keratometry testing were performed and 60 successful operations were performed, restoring vision to these once-blind islanders who were destined to a life of isolation and darkness.
Joyful appreciation filled the hospital halls, and a new hope was brought to the island of Palau...Praise God!"
Dr. Jeff Rutgard
Dr. Jeff Rutgard is seeking physicians, nurses, attending helpers to assist on these missions to some of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Dr. Jeff Rutgard's "Rutgard Technique" is "making a difference in the eyes of the world." iSight Missions looks forward to your participation. Join us by accompanying on a mission or donating to our cause.
IDOCTOR BLOG: Go here for your thoughts and comments!
Wood carvings are a way the locals preserve their history. Dr. Jeff gets a gift of history.
Rutgard Patients from the Yasawa Islands and Vatulele
(Written by Noa Vulalevu)
It was a beautiful morning the 16th November 2010 with bright sunshine
after continuous rain for four days. I thank God for His plan which
made this trip a very challenging one and very beautiful for the
patients. A total of twelve patients traveled with me to Taveuni for
eye surgery, six patients from Yasawas Islands, one from Ba, and five
patients from Vatulee.
We met Mr. Richard at the Fisheries Jetty in Latouka on that morning.
He arranged for everything in order to reach Taveuni and also brought
with him boat fare, van fare from Lautoka to Suva and also the return
fare, and meal money.
We collected the patients from Vatulele at 11:00
at Korolevu Jetty andboarded the ferry to Taveuni at 4:00 p.m. and we
we reached Taveuni on the 17th November at 1:00p.m. Transport was
waiting for us at the Taveuni Jetty and we arrived at the hospital at
1:30p.m. Four patients were taken straight for cataract eye surgery and the rest
were done the next day. Patient post op care took place on the 2nd
day. Blindness was gone and they were happy that they could see again especially with those
who had cataracts removed.
We traveled back to the capital of Fiji, Suva on the 21st and arrived
at 7:30 a.m. on November 22nd. Taina, the Vatulele nursing practitioner
was waiting for us at the Suva (Narayan Jetty). I dropped the Vatulele
patient back at Korolevu on our way to Lautoka, and we managed to reach
Lautoka at 12:30p.m. We dropped off the patients from the Yasawas with
their boat fare.
On behalf of the patients and their families, I would like to thank the
organizations [Dr. Jeff Rutgard of the Hawaiian Eye Foundation, Marine
Reach and the Rotary Clubs of Taveuni and New Zealand] for arranging
this trip, curing blindness and restoring our eyesight. Thank you for all of your support
and prayers even though my wife Nurse Ana couldn’t make it due to
family commitment. It was a very challenging trip for me and the
patients who have never traveled this far from our villages, but I can
truly see the big change in the lives of the patients after Dr. Jeff
restored the vision to the patients. May God’s Blessing be upon you
always.
With love and prayers
Noa Vulalevu
Another Patient’s Perspective
To; Eye Ambassador, Dr. Jeff Rutgard :
I am Koto Waqa one of the permanent workers of the Fiji Sugar
Corporation in Rarawai Mill in Ba, Fiji. I was working for 22 years in
this industry. By 2009 I went for a medical check and the medical
officer based at Rarawai Mill found out that I had a problem in my left
eye so it was also proved by an eye specialist here in Ba that I had a
cataract in my left eye. By that time I had experienced a blurred vision
in my eye. So I was laid off from my job as a fitter machinist on
March of this year under medical grounds.
Losing my job really brings problems to my whole family. I was left
without job for nine months. But there was only one who gave me
strength, that is God, who show me the path to follow that is where I
met Nurse Ana Nariu at the Nailaga Health Center in Ba, who saw me and
asked if I had a cataract in my eye, I said yes and I really need help,
so she said that she’s going to help me by making an arrangement for a
trip to Taveuni to meet the eye ambassador, Dr. Jeff and the hard working eye team so that I
could have cataract eye surgery.
I want to thank God for giving me strength. Now my vision is back to
normal, in fact it is unbelievable how well I can see without any
glasses. I would like to appreciate for the job well done to Dr. Jeff
Rutgard and his hard working eye team, carers and staff nurse Ana and her
husband for the kindness and support they have shown. Now I am trying
to get my job back. Thank you to the sponsors of this trip. Have a good trip to La Jolla and come back soon.
May God Bless All of You.
Koto Waqa
Nailaga Village Ba
Rutgard Technique is practiced here.