It was eye care day for residents of the Golden Haven for the Elderly (GHE) in Tanay, Rizal last 27 October. Providing them free consultation with a dash of entertainment were volunteers from the humanitarian group Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines Inc. (TCMFP).

Sixty-five volunteer doctors from the Tzu Chi Eye Center (TCEC) led by TCMFP president Dr. Antonio Say and TCEC medical director Dr. Bernardita Navarro spent two hours checking the eyes of the abandoned and homeless seniors at the government-run institution.

One TCEC team attended to the ambulant or abled residents and the facility’s staff and their dependents. Another group led by TCEC deputy medical director Dr. Susan Irene Lapid-Lim and volunteer Dr. Catherine Macaraig checked the eyes of the wheelchair-bound and bedridden residents in their quarters.

It was challenging to deal with some patients with psychological conditions as they threw tantrums. Patience and empathy, however, allowed the volunteer doctors to complete the task.

Out of the 124 elderly residents examined, 94 were found to be needing cataract and pterygium surgeries. 

They will be brought to TCEC in Sta. Mesa, Manila for the operation. The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office IV-A, which manages the facility, will assist in the pre-surgery requirements and transportation of the patients.

Lim believes that a restored eyesight could contribute in improving the elderly patients’ overall health. 

“I have seen patients with depression. After operating on their eye and giving them better vision, even their general mood improves — from very depressed pre-operatively, they become more lively. They find new purpose again,” she said. “That is what we are hoping to achieve — to improve the holistic wellbeing of our patients and not just care for their eye.”