Jamaica is very disturbing,” he said.
Team members admitted to many
moving moments in the years they
have been working with CVC.
Bob Erlandson has been involved
with CVC for more than 30 years.
He said it all began with ‘small talk’
with program director Gerry
Leinweber.
“He said he was going in two weeks
and asked if I wanted to come.
I phoned my wife that night and
told her about the trip,” he said.
“Our children were two-years-old
and six months at the time, so I was
surprised when she said I should go
'once', because I often talked about
going on a charity project.”
He said ‘once’ turned into over 50
trips and each time has resulted in
new memories and amazing
experiences.
“When you are helping those that
are truly in need, every day brings a
new moment,” he said adding it was
his first trip in 1984 that convinced
him this would be a part of his life.
He added CVC has become a second
family and it has been one of the
most exciting, memorable and gratifying experiences of his life.
“I put a pair of -7.00 on a little girl
about 12 years old who had never
had her eyes examined and she
started to cry, so did her mother...
and so did I. I was hooked,” he said.
“Thirty years, four continents, six
countries, and over two full years
abroad out of my office later, I still
get a total charge out of witnessing
those "moments", many of them
much more heart wrenching that
first one that had me bawling like
a school girl.”
the team and volunteers to mark
another successful day.
Those moments can be as powerful
as helping a child find a pair of lenses
to helping them get their first set
of frames.
A few team members will return in
January to deliver the new prescription glasses and make any necessary
adjustments.
Once a pair of frames is chosen, a
quick PD measurement is taken and
added to the prescription. The final
pair of glasses will be delivered in
a month. If a pair of readers is all
that’s called for then residents hand
over a different piece of paper
denoting the power.
The glasses are slipped on the face
and residents are asked to read a
few lines from a piece of paper.
Smiles instantly fill their faces as
they see the words come into focus.
The success of the program is due
on large part to the donations of
time and materials by members of
the Canadian optical industry.
As the day winds down a few last
people wander in for an exam as
word spreads about the clinic
location. The temperature in the
hall begins to cool as the numbers
dwindle.
A quick picture is taken with
The team has been through
countless bottles of water and the
fans now only recirculate warm
air. But the heat has been forgotten
as the team collects the equipment
and loads it in the vans.
The ride back to the hotel is filled
with discussion about some of the
more difficult cases seen that day.
A 10-year-old girl who is blind in
one eye and going blind in the other.
An 11-year-boy who will need cataract surgery. An older woman who
hasn’t had a new pair of glasses in
20 years.
Though the team members involved
have been doing work with CVC for
many years, there is always a case
that has a deep impact and reminds
them why they are a part of
the program.
In the span of a few days more than
1,000 people were checked and
treated and there will be just as many
people waiting for them when they
return for the next clinic in 2015.
To learn more about how you can
volunteer or provide supplies and
equipment visit
www.canadianvisioncare.com
EYEWEAR WITH BACKBONE
Contact your local Centoptic representative to book your appointment
1-800-268-1670
20 Optical Prism | January-February 2015
www.spineoptics.com