The Fundación Fernández-Vega Performs Over 100 Surgeries In Its Last Solidarity Trip To Honduras

Fundación del Instituto Oftalmológico Fernández- Vega, Fundación CAMO and Central American Eye Clinics collaborates with Doctors Héctor and Marco Robles, the only ophthalmology specialists for an area populated with a million inhabitants.

For third year in a row, the Fundación Fernández-Vega (FFV) has travelled to Honduras to perform cataract surgeries, first cause of reversible blindness in the world, to local patients. Performing this surgery entails little complications in Spain but becomes really difficult in countries with limited resources.

During the five-day expedition, the Foundation has been able to successfully perform over 100 surgeries. “80% of the surgeries performed have been to remove cataracts. In some cases patients arrived completely dependent, with a blindness percentage of nearly 100%,” highlighted Dr Héctor, ophthalmologist from Honduras who collaborated with the Foundation.

Usually cataracts are diagnosed and removed as soon as the disease presents its first symptoms, however in developing countries patients can loose their eyesight as in countries such as Honduras the technology required to perform cataract surgery is scarce. “All the material we have and all the equipment we receive are thanks to associations,” explained Dr Robles, who has highlighted that this year he has received a lot of the equipment necessary to perform this type of surgery.

However, the lack of resources in this medical field is not restricted to materials and technology. Honduras is a country with a big lack of ophthalmologists and that is why the work of foundations like the Fundación Fernández-Vega is so important. “Despite the great training of its ophthalmologists, the lack of professionals in some areas of the country and the lack of material and technological resources make the help of associations such as ours and others like Fundación CAMO and Central American Eye Clinics very important” stated Dr Alvaro Fernández-Vega.

Still committed to a better future for Honduras As every year the Fundación Fernández-Vega together with specialists from all over the work has contributed in solidarity with its talent and technical resources so that destitute individuals can receive the treatment they need. “We all have to do our bit to improve the life of those who really need it,” concluded Álvaro Fernández-Vega.

As for the possibility of returning to Honduras, the Fernández-Vega doctors have shown their desire to go back next year and help with other disease that they could not treat. During their stay they had a patient with cataracts and hemovitreous. The treatment of hemovitreous requires a vitrectomy device that, unfortunately, they did not have at the Hospital, so they could not correct it when with the necessary material the intervention only takes 10 or 15 minutes. The physicians hope to be back and collaborate with whatever is necessary so that vitrectomies can be carried out in the future.

The expedition team was constituted by doctor Álvaro Fernández-Vega González, together with his brother Carlos Fernández-Vega González, also an ophthalmologist, and their parents Mrs Prado Gonzaléz and Dr Álvaro Fernández-Vega Sanz, Head of the Unit of Retina and Vitreous of the Instituto Oftalmológico in Oviedo. During their stay in Honduras, they performed surgeries in the cities of San Pedro Sula and Santa Rosa de Copán, where doctors Héctor and Marco Robles, father and son, are the only ophthalmology specialists for an area populated with a million inhabitants.