Millions of people around the world struggle with vision loss due to limited access to eye care. Guatemala is one such location where the need for ophthalmic services is critical. Recognizing this need, Eversight, in collaboration with Humanity First and Dr. Charles Bouchard of Loyola University Chicago, helped support a trip to Guatemala City in February 2025. On this trip, 10 donor corneas were used to restore sight in 10 patients and help advance surgeon education.
“They're so grateful and so patient,” Dr. Bouchard said of the people he worked with on the trip. “We've been there for 15 years. We know a lot about Guatemala and the kindness and gentleness of the patients. We don't speak much Spanish. There are Spanish translators who are there, but with facial expressions and their family support, it’s enough–you can get the idea from them.”
In addition to patient care and treatment, this trip was an opportunity for many surgeons, fellows, and local ophthalmologists and clinicians to learn from each other.
Dr. Pauline Dmitriev, Eversight’s 2024 Kellogg Eye Center Fellow, was given the opportunity to join the trip to Guatemala to see the impact firsthand.
"I first connected with Dr. Bouchard and the Humanity First group as a senior resident at Wills Eye Hospital last year,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “There was an opportunity to do a global rotation, and I was able to join them on their trip to Guatemala. I was instantly hooked.”
A commitment to patient care & education
The purpose of the trip was to screen and perform sight-restoring surgeries, mostly cataract and pterygium surgeries for people who otherwise either don't have access or the funds to get that type of care in Guatemala.
“Guatemala has a relative shortage of surgeons and ophthalmologists to be able to do those procedures, but then really the burden comes from the fact that most people in Guatemala do not have the means to receive this type of care,” Dr. Dmitriev said.
Oftentimes, when a person experiences vision loss or impairment, their entire livelihood changes as well.
“There was one patient who came back for me to do her second eye this year,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “She's a textile worker, a seamstress who had to stop working when her vision went and now, she's back to work. Her daughter could also go back to work because she doesn't have to care for her and help her around the house. It was really amazing to hear how an eye surgery, one that we take for granted, can have such an impact on a whole family.”
One of the central goals of this trip was not just to provide direct patient care, but to equip local healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to continue these services after Dr. Bouchard’s team leaves.
Eversight’s Global Development team offers international clinical training and education to eye surgeons and eye bank technicians, improving access to life-changing transplants. Through the incredible generosity of donors and donor families, Eversight also provides corneal tissue from the United States for transplant, like this recent trip to Guatemala, providing hope for the future and restoring sight to patients in need.
“The end goal really should be to make a country or a region self-sufficient, meaning that tissue is available, surgeons and optometrists and comprehensive ophthalmologists are available, and that there's access for people to be able to get the care,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “Until that happens, though, I feel like the role of these types of trips is, to a small degree, to provide direct care to patients who need it.”
By working alongside local ophthalmologists and other clinicians, the team helped to enhance surgical techniques and introduce best practices that improve long-term patient outcomes.
“We were working with residents and fellows from Guatemala City and Honduras teaching them phaco techniques (a method for cataract surgery), while they were giving us pearls on MSICS (Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery),” she said.
One of Dr. Dmitriev’s biggest takeaways from this trip was the collaboration and knowledge sharing she experienced.
“Both sides benefit from it,” she said. “So, improving access to care directly for patients, but more indirectly by providing some training and knowledge sharing so that these efforts can continue even once the group leaves.”
The power of partnership
The success of this mission was made possible through collaboration with organizations like Eversight and Humanity First. The donor corneas provided by Eversight gave patients a second chance at sight and gave them back their independence.
“I want to thank Eversight for their support,” Dr. Dmitriev said. “Some of these patients have been waiting over 10 years for a transplant. Obviously, that is a really impactful and important moment in the patient's life. Eversight's been a dream to work with.”
Dr. Dmitriev’s experience in Guatemala reaffirmed the transformative power of international education and training in addressing global health disparities. By sharing knowledge, mentoring local professionals and providing critical care to uninsured patients, these trips lay the foundation for a future where preventable blindness can be eradicated.
“The impact of these trips reaches far beyond the operating room—it transforms lives in ways words can hardly capture,” said Carrie Wolverton, Eversight Global Development Director. “Restoring a patient’s vision means giving them back their independence, their livelihood and the simple joys of seeing their loved ones again. And for the donor and their loved ones, it’s the fulfillment of a final wish, a legacy of love and generosity that reaches across borders. It’s the chance to be a hero, to give light where there was darkness, and to change a life—not just here, but a world away.”
As efforts continue to expand access to eye care, partnerships between global and local organizations remain essential. Together, they are not only restoring sight but also strengthening healthcare systems worldwide—one patient, one surgery and one lesson at a time.
