An IRIS Mundial team visited Labrousse in Haiti from October 7 through the 14th. Francine Lavallée and Vicky Larochelle, IRIS optometrists, participated in the training of the Program for the Prevention and Fight against Blindness team of which has just started in Limbe. During their stay, they seized the opportunity to follow up on the program that is currently established in the region of Labrousse for three years and to update the skills of local staff. Thus, the new teammates have benefited from the experience gained in the field by their colleagues.
The Limbe program team consists of Viviane Pierre, nurse, Nelly Paul, assistant, and Djery Baptiste, mobilizer. Like their colleagues in Labrousse, they will conduct screening in mobile clinics and schools in the area, in addition to providing educational sessions. People who need glasses or sunglasses can easily get them and those requiring more extensive care will be referred to the Vision Plus Clinic in
Cap Haitien where an ophthalmologist will support them. Many people will also benefit from eye surgery, cataracts, pterygium, etc.
Elvie Maxineau, director of the CEDI-Village of Hope, agency also took part in the team training. She is responsible for the two-year program that has just started in Limbe. The training then continued in Limbe where the clinic was set up and the team has already begun to provide visual screening.