A John A. Moran Eye Center program created one year ago to help refugees resettled in Utah has now assisted more than 300 people, restoring eyesight to allow them to participate fully in the community.
On Saturday, April 27, Moran’s Global Outreach Division held its third Hope in Sight® Refugee Eye Care Clinic. The event, held at Moran's Midvalley Health Center in Murray, provided 105 eye exams, 73 pairs of eyeglasses, and referred 10 people for Moran’s twice-yearly Operation Sight Day, which provides charity cataract surgery to uninsured Utahns in need.
Funded by sponsor Grandeur Peak Global Advisors of Salt Lake City, the clinic is a cooperative partnership between Moran’s Global Outreach Division, the Refugee and Immigrant Center – Asian Association of Utah (RIC-AAU), the International Rescue Committee, Utah Health & Human Rights, and the Utah Refugee Services Office.
People attending the free clinic have resettled from countries including Iraq, Myanmar, South Sudan, Somalia, and Bosnia. Moran doctors who donated their time for the April clinic are:
- Craig J. Chaya, MD
- Alan S. Crandall, MD
- Nikko Ronquillo, MD, PhD
- Arwa Alsamarae, MD
- David Meyer, OD
- Dix H. Pettey, OD
- Mark A. McKay, OD
For photos from the event, click here.
About the John A. Moran Eye Center Global Outreach Division
Of the world’s 39 million blind people, more than 90 percent live in poverty in developing nations without access to modern eye care. They have lower life expectancies, and for every blind person, 2.5 people leave work or school to become caregivers.
The John A. Moran Eye Center’s Global Outreach Division works to eliminate curable blindness by sustainably expanding access to eye care around the globe. In more than 20 countries, the division trains doctors, nurses, and other eye care professionals, and restores sight to hundreds of patients during week-long medical camps.
In Utah, the division provides charitable eye care to thousands of people in need across the state and on the Navajo Nation. Learn more about Moran’s outreach programs here.