OneSight-China Donation Held in Qingdao

It is the first time that I got a pair of glasses through so many procedures. It sets my mind at rest.” Zhou Peng, a 20-year-old recipient of donated eyeglasses, said excitedly.

From May 11 to 20, 2010, 60 oculists and volunteers from 11 countries including the United States, Australia, India, Ghana and Thailand gathered in Qingdao and with their loving care took part in the OneSight-China Donation activity to provide clear vision to the disabled and people in need in the city.

The activity was launched at 9:30 am on May 11 in the Gymnasium of the Qingdao Disabled Persons’ Federation. The place was divided into seven working areas――registration, administering mydriatic, examining visual acuity, reflexivity and eyes, computer recording, and eyeglasses distribution. Foreign doctors and Chinese volunteers shared out the work and cooperated in good order. Helped by the volunteers patients with eye trouble could finish all tests and received eyeglasses in about one hour.

Foreign oculists and volunteers worked ten hours a day. When there were too many people, they then had to work an extra two or three hours. They had lunch in turns to save time. There were rooms in the gym specially prepared for them to take a break, yet, hardly anyone went.

A volunteer couple from Australia drew people’s attention especially. Mr. Theunis Prins was already 78 and the couple’s combined age exceeded 150. They covered all their travel and accommodation expenses to take part in this activity. Their work was to select from the 40,000 pairs of glasses the most suitable pair for each recipient who had completed the examination. In order to find the right pair of glasses in the shortest time possible, the two often put their heads together and checked the glasses carefully. They worked more than 10 hours every day, hardly taking any rest.

Mr. Theparak Leungsuwan, chairman of the Gift of Sight Foundation of Thailand, was a well-known figure in the Thai political and business circles. He not only introduced this activity to Qingdao, but also out of his busy schedule led an 11-member team of Thai volunteers to take part in the activity. Among the members were his two sons who put aside their business and study to join their father. Mr. Leungsuwan was often seen explaining the examination results to the recipients, ushering them to the right section or inquiring about whether they felt uncomfortable after mydriasis. He bought pizzas for foreign volunteers and cakes on their birthdays. He also donated money to the needy and eye patients. “I’ve met many philanthropists, but such philanthropists as Mr. Leungsuwan who personally takes part in the work are rare,” commented the head of the foreign volunteers’ team.

The last part of the activity was to select the most suitable pair of glasses for every recipient. Foreign doctors and volunteers let the recipients try out each pair selected for them and took the trouble to change glasses for them till they achieved the right fit. Then, applause and happy laughter would burst out in the gym.

An American volunteer sprained her ankle in an accident on the night before the activity. The doctor asked her to stay in bed for three days. But, on the following day she appeared at the donation site and participated in the activity from the beginning to the end.

Through eight days of hard work, 60 oculists and volunteers from different countries brought clear vision to 15,000 disabled and poor people and diagnosed for hundreds of people glaucoma and cataract, and in cooperation with the doctors of the Qingdao Municipal Hospital they proposed future treatment methods for them.

During the eight days, “Thank you” was heard with the most frequency in the gym. The citizens reciprocated foreign volunteers’ kindness with sincere smiles and not so well pronounced “Thank you” in English.

Accompanied by his daughter, He Baozhen, a calligrapher of over 70 and Vice President of the Qingdao Calligraphers Association, came to the venue of the activity several times and wrote inscriptions for the OneSight Foundation and the Gift of Sight Foundation of Thailand. He also wrote “Light-bringer” for each foreign volunteer in different calligraphy styles to express Qingdao people’s gratitude to them.

Li Shicai, a poor disabled person, was fond of carving, but he had to give up this hobby because of poor eyesight. After putting on the glasses he was very excited to see clearly foreign volunteers at the donation site. When he got home, he pried up a piece of floor board and carved:“Solute to the OneSight Foundation and the Gift of Sight Foundation of Thailand” on it and asked the Qingdao Disabled Persons’ Federation to give it to the foreign organizer of the activity.

Liu Peng, a child in wheelchair suffering from cerebral palsy, had difficulty in expressing his feelings verbally. After wearing the glasses he expressed his gratitude with the most beautiful smile he could offer and signaled with great difficulty his wish to have a picture taken with foreign doctors and volunteers.

“Wow, it is so clear! From now on, I don’t have to squint my eyes to see the words on the blackboard,” said a pupil from a poor family, who had never had a test of vision, nor a pair of glasses, though his myopic degree was tested to be 600 degrees this time, as he excitedly put on the pair of glasses specially chosen for him.

A woman working in the department of environmental hygiene invited foreign doctors and volunteers to her home and entertained them with fruits and refreshment to express her gratitude.

An old lady, who had suffered from eye trouble for many years, had never been to an oculist because of her financial difficulty. When foreign doctors examined her eyes and together with the Chinese doctors proposed future treatment for her, she said excitedly: “Oh, great! My eyes can be saved.”

This activity was initiated by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (QDMPAFFC) and jointly sponsored by the OneSight Foundation, the Gift of Sight Foundation of Thailand, the QDMPAFFC and the Qingdao Disabled Persons’ Federation.