The success of Enfoque Ixcán in establishing a sustainable model of eye care for an area lacking accessibility and affordability to eye care got an important push forward when we began using the services of Visualiza and Vincent Pescatore eye clinics.
In 2002 Enfoque Ixcán took it’s first group of eye surgery patients to the Visualiza clinic in Guatemala City. Having local, professional eye care providers to refer to was an important step in making our program sustainable. The Guatemala City clinic offers superior quality eye care and surgery. Their ophthalmologists, optometrists, dentist, audiologist, internist and psychologist work in a modern clinical space. Patients entering on one side of the building receive private care and from the other side of the clinic social service patients are cared for. The social service side sees our patients from Ixcán and the fees just cover the costs of service, making it affordable for the poor.
The drawback to the clinic in Guatemala City is its distance from Ixcán, an 8-10 hour trip, one way. So, this year we began using their clinic, called Vincent Pescatore, in northern Guatemala, only 5 hours away. Vincent Pescatore is part of the Visualiza eye care system, which is a SightReach Management partner of the International Eye Foundation and a demonstration center in Latin America, to show how to establish a social service program providing high quality, inexpensive eye care through a efficient, high volume model to patients of all socio-economic means.
Vincent Pescatore is in the town of San Benito, Petén. Not only is it closer for our patients, but San Benito also shares the culture of the people of Ixcán and going there is much more comfortable than going to the “big” city. The same doctors staff both of the Visualiza clinics, so the quality of care remains top notch.
Using Visualiza for our patients’ surgical needs ensures our sustainability, and the low costs allow your donations to go farther in providing eye care to the people of Ixcán. To help us continue to provide quality eye care in Ixcán, Guatemala, click on the Paypal button to the right.