In February 2026, a team of ophthalmologists, trainees and clinical staff traveled to Guatemala for a weeklong medical service trip to restore sight and strengthen local eye care capacity. Supported in part by Eversight providing 10 corneal tissues, the trip brought together Humanity First, Visualiza Hospital and partners from hospitals across the U.S. to serve patients who otherwise would not have access to care.
Over five days at Nasir Hospital, the team, led by Eversight surgeon Charles Bouchard, MD, of Loyola University Chicago, completed 88 cataract and pterygium surgeries for underserved patients. In parallel, nine individuals received cornea transplants—life-changing surgeries made possible through the generosity of donors and their families, surgeons and Eversight philanthropic supporters.
For many patients, these procedures were transformative.
The success of the trip was the result of months of preparation and a deeply collaborative approach. Local clinicians in Guatemala screened and identified patients in advance, while the visiting team coordinated logistics, equipment and surgical planning from the U.S.
For Pauline Dmitriev, MD, an Eversight surgeon and cornea specialist who returned to Guatemala for her third year, the experience reflects her personal and professional growth.personal and professional growth.
“It’s been really special to attend through different parts of my journey,” she shared. “The very first time I went, I was a senior resident. It was my first taste of what global ophthalmology was all about. I remember taking it all in and learning what it entails to get a trip like that to get off the ground. Being involved in organizing the meetings was interesting because it’s amazing how much equipment is needed to get through a successful surgical mission trip like this one.”
This year’s medical service trip marked the largest yet, with more surgeries and more patients served than ever before.
But beyond the numbers, the impact runs deeper.
The trip focused on treating patients with advanced conditions—many of whom have gone years without care due to financial barriers. In Guatemala, where less than half the population has insurance, most medical care is paid out of pocket.
As a result, the cases are often complex.
“The cases that keep you up at night in the U.S.—those are the routine cases in Guatemala,” Dr. Dmitriev explained. “These are patients with severe, advanced disease who simply haven’t had access to treatment.”
Among the dozens of patients treated, one story stood out.
As her vision worsened, she was forced to leave school and give up the activities she loved. After being turned away by other providers due to the complexity of her case, her family arrived at Nasir Hospital hoping for help.
Dr. Dmitriev performed bilateral cataract surgery on both of Genesis’s eyes. The results were immediate and emotional.
“Even on post-operative day one, she was thrilled,” Dr. Dmitriev recalled. “We were all crying—she was crying, her parents were crying. She came in with a stack of books she had wanted to reread for the last couple of years, telling me how she's so excited to go back to school and everything that we take for granted, and our kids here take for granted, that she was missing out on.”
For Dr. Dmitriev, the moment was defining.
“If I did no other cases on this trip and just did that one, it would have been worth it,” she said.
Today, Genesis is recovering well and has returned to school. For her, the classroom is no longer shapes and shadows, but a canvas of endless possibility.
In addition to cataract and pterygium surgeries, corneal transplantation played a critical role in restoring sight for patients with corneal blindness.
According to Lilyan León Nieto, MD, of Visualiza Hospital, “Nine individuals who had been living with severe visual impairment now have a renewed chance at independence, productivity and social participation.”
In a setting where patients may wait months for donor tissue—and where transplantation costs are often prohibitive—access to donated corneas is truly life-changing.
One additional tissue was preserved for future use, ensuring that its impact will extend beyond the immediate trip.
“Each trip strengthens local surgical training, builds clinical capacity and expands access to corneal transplantation for underserved communities,” Dr. Nieto said. “We are deeply grateful to Eversight for their continued generosity and partnership, which makes these transformative opportunities possible for patients in Guatemala.
While the immediate outcomes are powerful, the long-term vision of Eversight’s medical service trip goes even further.
A key focus is education and training—equipping local ophthalmologists and trainees with the skills and resources to care for their communities year-round.
“Ideally, we would be living in a world where no communities, locally or abroad, would have to rely on visiting ophthalmologists or visiting surgeons in medical service trips,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “The goal is to create a system where there are physicians who have the training and who have the equipment and tools and infrastructure to be able to take great care of their populations at home.”
Each medical service trip strengthens local clinical capacity, supports knowledge exchange and moves closer to a future where communities no longer have to rely on visiting teams for essential eye care.
“It's great to go and change the lives of 80 people, but through education and committing time and resources in the development of local practitioners, that's where we're really going to make the most impact,” she said.
Learn how Eversight provides training for international eye surgeons and eye bank technicians, empowering them to use the latest techniques and methods to restore vision for their patients.
For many members of the team, the experience is as transformative as it is demanding.
“There’s no better reminder of why we went into medicine,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “I come back feeling completely reinvigorated—excited to use my skills both at home and abroad.”
That sense of purpose is shared across the entire team—from seasoned surgeons to residents experiencing global ophthalmology for the first time.
“The global ophthalmology trip to Guatemala was the most meaningful and memorable experience of my training,” said Josiah To, MD, MASc, a fourth-year resident at Cook County Ophthalmology, and one of Humanity First’s volunteers. “The most impactful part of the trip was the opportunity to interact directly with patients whose lives were profoundly changed using our skills as eye surgeons.”
This year’s medical service trip builds on a growing partnership and shared commitment to expanding access to sight-saving care in Guatemala. In February 2025, Eversight supported a medical service trip to Guatemala where 10 patients received a second chance at sight. Later that same year, Eversight provided an additional 10 donor corneal tissues for a return trip to Guatemala—bringing the total to 20 patients transformed in 2025.
With each return, the trip evolves, reaching more patients, strengthening more systems and deepening its impact.
And for those involved, one thing remains constant: A belief in what’s possible when expertise, curiosity, compassion and the gift of sight come together.
Learn more about Eversight’s global aid program and give today to support sight-saving education and training for clinicians around the world.
Portions of this story were provided by Dr. Charles Bouchard and are used with permission.