SLT Laser Helps Prevent Blindness in Dominican Republic

I had always heard that uncontrolled Glaucoma could cause blindness, but in March, 2012 I was sadly awakened to this fact on an eyesight medical mission to Santiago, Dominican Republic. I was a volunteer, along with 70 or so other doctors, nurses, technicians, and assistants and we spent a week treating 1500 Dominican patients, many of whom did not have access to eye care outside of this annual visit by the mission.

283 surgeries were performed, and 50 patients were treated with the Lumenis SLT laser to reduce raised intraocular eye pressure, which can be a symptom of Glaucoma. Eye drops are difficult to get and expensive for the rural people on the island, and we saw patients who were blind from Glaucoma. We rarely see that in the US. We gave out free eye drops to help control Glaucoma where possible as well as treating them with the laser. Going on this mission was a humbling and heart-rending experience that I was glad to be able to take part in, and I look forward to going to help out again.

My local online paper did an article about it here -The Daily Lewsboro/The Daily Pound Ridge


Pound Ridge Woman Helps Bring Sight 
to Dominican Republic
by Bob Dumas

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. – Americans think of glaucoma as a controllable disease that’s easily remedied once diagnosed. But in most Third World countries, the glaucoma often leads to blindness.
Pound Ridge resident Lauren Traub Teton, marketing manager for Option 3, a mobile SLT laser device used to combat glaucoma, recently returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic where she joined a team of doctors and nurses on a mission to help glaucoma sufferers in the small island country.
read the rest here 

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The Lumenis SLT Laser is available to ophthalmologists as a laser rental by the day.
Visit www.Option3.Biz

or call
Lauren Teton
Marketing Manager Option3 LLC
Westchester County, NY

914 764-0115