AN EYE specialist is helping to lead the fight against eye disease in the developing world by joining a growing ‘medical mission’.
Terry Cooper has just returned from a stint in Uganda where he linked up with the Vision 2020 Links programme, which works to improve quality and quantity of eye care training.
The 60-year-old, who is a regional manager at Volk Optical, flew to the African country in February and has since installed vital equipment into a temporary clinic in a bid to help prevent blindness.
All the specialist equipment will be transferred to the Mulago Hospital when renovation work, which is currently taking place at the site, has been completed.
And Mr Cooper, who lived in Madresfield in Malvern for almost 20 years before moving to the South of France, told The Observer the visits were ‘essential’.
“It is great to be in a job where I can combine my interest with the possibility to help people in developing countries,” he said.
“It is great to feel you are contributing something real and saving somebody’s sight. It is one of the most gratifying things you can do because you imagine if people go blind it would be the end of their world in many senses.
“In Europe and America, if you are blind or going blind there is a big support network around you and lots of things you can do but if you go blind in Africa you are often shunned by your family and shunned by the community.
“There is an added layer and complexity to the stigma of blindness in Africa which we don’t see in Europe so it makes it that bit more special when you know you are helping people.”
Mr Cooper has also publicised the mission on Facebook, Twitter and the African media and said he was pleased how everything had gone.
“I got to a certain point in my life where I wanted to start giving something in a charitable sense so it came together really nicely,” he added.
“I think these kind of things are extremely important, developing countries for one reason or another don’t invest in health care.
“The impact that a medical mission like we have just completed has in Uganda, would make many, many more times the impact we could make in the UK.
“It really is grassroots and simple things and getting them right in an area where healthcare is not very sophisticated.”
