Final report for the 2015 Taveuni Eye Project, the 10th annual eye project organised and supported by Rotary Club of Taveuni and volunteers. This humanitarian project completed 339 Eye Surgeriesin October 2015.

1. The Rotary Club of Taveuni Island
thanks all who assisted with this project
Taveuni Eye Project
10th Annual Eye Surgery
A humanitarian project that
completed 339 Eye Surgeries
in October 2015

2. The 10th Taveuni Eye Project was a huge success – the best results ever.
339 sight restoring surgeries to 255 individuals including 4 totally blind children were completed with the
result that those who were once dependent on their families for everything now are independent,
This project is superior to every other eye program running in Fiji. The project surgeries are all done by
volunteers this includes doctors and nurses backed up by local and international volunteer workers and all
at no cost to the patients. The project has a focus on patients who are from rural and remote areas and who
lack money. The project covers all travel from home to Taveuni hospital and back to home, all meals even on
route, accommodation on Taveuni and all medical costs. They each get a supply of medication, eye patches,
eye drops and a pair of sunglasses to protect their new lens.
11 overseas volunteers attended and 22 locals assisted with the project.
Doctors - Three surgeons, one GP and an Anesthetist attended this year
Patients came from all over Fiji, so many that some were camped at Tutu Rural Training Centre and some at
Taveuni Central Primary.
Again this year the Fiji Society for the Blind conducted Fiji wide eye screenings and submitted patients
names for treatment consideration.
Over 2600 Fijians have had their sight restored over the 10 years of this project.
Prior to the project commencing this year many people were again involved in collecting used/good
sunglasses in both New Zealand and Melbourne.
This year the project team organised the supply of two new eye surgery stretchers to better cater for
patients and surgeons.
Without the support of all our volunteers and donors
this project would never happen.
Taveuni Eye Project 2015

3. Taveuni
Eye Project
2015
Michael Prasad officiated at the opened ceremony for the 10th Annual Taveuni Eye Project on Monday the
19th of October 2015 at 8.00 am. He commenced with a welcome to all and a thank you to all for making
this years project possible. During the ceremony D9920 District Governor Jennie Herring also thanked
everyone and officially opened the project. In conclusion Michael read a short message from Geoffrey
Amos who sent his apologies as he was in hospital in Auckland and unable to attend.
Chaplain Seru Turaga Beci from Becu Levu Secondary was called upon to bless the project and all who
work on it and during his prayer he read the following very fitting bible versus :-
Matthew 6 Verses 22 and part 23
The eye is the lamp of the body, so then if you eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

4. Ineke ( Charge Nurse )
Michael ( Patient Logistics )
Joey ( Patient Services )
Dr Jeff ( Surgeon )Geoffrey ( Lead )
Project Leads
Dr David ( Surgeon )
Dr Grace ( Surgeon )
Dr Greg ( GP )

5. Patients came from all over Fiji
255Total
1YASAWA
1WAIYEVO
1VISEISEI
1VATUKOULA
34TAVUA
19TAVENUI
6SUVA
1SOMOSOMO
17SAVU SAVU
13RAKIRAKI
1QAMEA
1NAITASIRI
9NADI
1MATEI
36LEVUKA
1LAVENA
62LAUTOKA
2LAUCALA
45LABASA
1GAU
1BUA
1BA
PatientsVILLAGE

6. Headquarters for the Taveuni Eye Project 2015
All operations were carried out at Taveuni Hospital – thank you Ministry of Health

7. Accommodation
Dormitory style sleeping
arrangements – patients indicated
that luxury treatment was given to
them – a mattress, sheets, pillow
and showers but how many sheets
did we have to wash ??

8. Meals at the Hospital, Tutu, Central Primary School, Residences and for Boats and Buses
– very important – but how many ? Too many to count – in the thousands

9. Meals
continued

10. Transport to Taveuni
Patients arrive by ship both big and
small, bus, car, taxi and on foot.

11. Carers who travel with patients are Very Important
Carers from home are a vital link – most patients had never left their village before this project

12. Assessment and Measuring
All patients details are fully
recorded at every stage as
they are tested and assessed
then scheduled for surgery.

13. Pre-Operation
Each patient’s eye
is “ blocked “ by a
doctor and then
they wait in line for
their turn in
surgery.

14. The Operating Theatres – Main
The new Stryker Stretchers in use – they allowed surgeons to do the long days in relative
comfort, allowed for two simultaneous operations in the main operating theatre as well as
giving “ excellent patient support “

15. The Operating Theatres – Main

16. The Operating Theatres - Secondary
Secondary Theatre – used for Pterygiums , Slit Lamp and other tests and investigations

17. The Operating Theatres – General Anesthetic
The Main Theatre – was used for 4 children under general anesthetic - middle Saturday
Pictured here is the first child patient returning to the general ward to wake up fully.
Dr Luke
Anesthetist

18. Morning After Surgery - Post Op Checks –
Crucial Instructions to patients are given in all languages used and medicines/sunglasses given out.

19. One group of patients the morning after their surgery this is the highlight of each day as
patients see with their corrected eyes for the first time
Results - Taveuni Eye Project 2015

20. Taveuni Eye Project 2015 – kids are very special
The little 4 year old above had never seen his
mother clearly until the eye surgery and he was so
happy with the result.
Eye corrections
will mean a better
life for all children
and a chance to go
to school.

21. Taveuni
Eye
Project
2015
This young mother now has
much clearer vision to
enable her to build a better life and
the “ smile says it all “.

22. Taveuni Eye Project 2015
One special patient from Somosomo – Flora is 78
years old – and had not left her house in years – two
eyes done and the result is she and her daughter
have found a new freedom

23. Taveuni Logistics - Impressive
Many and varied jobs including, but not limited to, setting up, unpacking, driving, patient reassuring, growing
vegetables, baking bread, cooking chickens, photographing, checking, fixing, fuelling, shopping, carting, carrying,
packing up, lifting, moving etc etc.
“even two days
of solid rain did
not stop them”

24. Taveuni Logistics -
continued

25. Taveuni Logistics - continued

26. Very happy patients on the Goundar Shipping Ltd Ferry going home in style.
Photo by Ana Raravuso

27. Taveuni Eye Project 2015
What did the total Taveuni Eye Project Team achieve in 14 days ?
255 individual patients received
eyesight restoring treatments with
339 eye operations being carried out.
Cataracts: 275 ( some patients with both eyes )
Pterygiums: 57
Removal of a lesion upper eye lid: 1
Scar tissue removal: 1
Symblephion :1
Secondary lens implant: 3
General Anesthetic cases : 4
Removal cataract, aphakic: 1
Yag laser treatment: 6
Slitlamp examinations: 73
Eye testing – no surgery was required nor possible: 100

28. Last Patient for 2015
Photo by Jon Glendon

29. Just a few stories from this years project :-
A local grandmother returns home and sees her grandkids running out to meet her and is
amazed at seeing them for the first time – she only recognises each of them by their voices as
they speak – very excited homecoming and a scene to watch with great pride as the project
had returned her sight.
Upon having the eye patch removed from one eye “Flora” remarked that I was white – she and
I had spoken over the last few days of her preparation and travel but she had never seen me –
she knew my voice and remarked on my skin and hair color as white.
Mother and Daughter are now free to move around both in and out of their house – both have
lost husbands and live together but the daughter has been afraid to leave the house without
the seeking of a carer to mind her mother in case she injures herself – not always easy to find
at short notice. A new found freedom has been found for both of them.
Pastor Peter ah Koy – could not do his job as good as he would like because he could not read
his bible and had to both rely on memory and others to read it for him. He was told to wait for
the eye cataract to mature before an operation could be done. He heard of this free eye
surgery in Taveuni and contacted the Rotary Club in Suva and everything was organised for
him to be part of the event. He commented that it was amazing that Doctor Jeff Rutgard and
his volunteer team from overseas just fixed the problem without having to wait for it to mature.
His final comment was “ The project has given me back my life and I can now continue with
my work thank you so much “.
Without the support of all our volunteers and donors this would never happen.
Taveuni Eye Project 2015

30. The Rotary Foundation and Rotary International.
Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation.
Goundar Shipping Ltd.
Stryker South Pacific.
Gibson Freight Australia Pty Ltd
L.B. Miller Trust.
Giltrap Family Trust.
Rex Godso.
Sunny and Jerry Blonsky.
Rotary Club of Newmarket.
Rotary Club of Boronia.
Without the support of all our donors this project would never happen.
Taveuni Eye Project 2015
Major Donors

31. An Awesome Team Effort
Well Done All
It is impossible to list everyone in this brief report
who assisted the project
this year so we are sending everyone a
Vinaka vaka levu –
( a big thank you )
Queries for Taveuni Eye Project to –
Geoffrey Amos Rotary Club of Taveuni Island
raikivi@me.com mobile – +679 9992371
Report Produced by :- Peter Malden, Rotary Club of Boronia, Melbourne. Australia.
Photos by :- Jon Glendon, Ana Raravuso, Dennis Millard, Lorna Cammick,
Joey Amos, Jan Malden and Peter Malden.