Lewes doctor organizes medical mission

Dr. Rodolfo Rios, ophthalmologist for Atlantic Eye Care, is originally from Lima, Peru, who,  after many years of school, opened his business in Lewes in 2000.

Fifteen years later, his business has grown, allowing him to lead a third medical mission into the jungles of Peru to a town called Tarapoto.

By collaborating with the Lions Club both in Rehoboth Beach and in Peru, Rios, who is a Lions Club member, was able to raise enough money and obtain supplies to provide free cataract surgeries to less fortunate locals in Tarapoto. The National Institute of Ophthalmology of Peru also provided doctors to help with the week-long adventure, and in four days Rios and his colleagues had completed 52 surgeries from a list of over 300 candidates.

“In any third-world country, there is a great need for doctors, especially specialists,” such as ophthalmologists, said Rios.

From birth, many residents are exposed to the sun for their entire lives, and do not have the means to purchase sunglasses to protect their eyes. This leads to the calcification of the crystalline lens in the eye and the development of hard, black cataracts over their pupils.

“Cataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness,” he said. Surgery in the United States is much more advanced than that in Peru, and even though Lima is a more modern city, comparatively, the surrounding states are not developed. Some towns have places called a posta, which is a small office staffed by nurses and by a doctor who visits once a month, but those are generally only equipped to handle minor illnesses.

“Tarapoto has limited resources. There are two ophthalmologists in the area, but they’re very expensive,” Rios said.

To create a patient list, Rios had to work with the local media to spread the word. “They had every form of communication to get to the people, the radio, megaphones,” he said. After residents signed up for the surgery, local nurses and doctors helped perform the pre-operation procedures that are necessary to proceed. “The beauty about cataracts is you remove them, you put in an implantation, and you can see again,” said Rios.

On this past trip, Rios’ wife, Patricia, was able to accompany him to Tarapoto. “This is a way to give something back to my country,” she said. Rios now has plans to go again in September 2016. “After this last trip, I really want to go once a year,” he said. “We have to give back a little to our people.”