Dr. Dimmig in early 2015 traveled with the Himalayan Cataract Project (www.cureblindness.org) for a surgical outreach in Harar, Ethiopia. Harar is a spectacular city in eastern Ethiopia that is a world heritage site. The old city is surrounded by a wall and inside there are no cars and life is similar to 1000 years ago. Dr. Mandefro is one of only 2 ophthalmologists in the region which services 3 million people. Along with Dr. Matt Oliva from Medford, Oregon and Drs. Alemu and Mandefro from Ethiopia they performed 924 sight restoring cataract surgeries. Bend based photographer Amanda Conde (amandaconde.smugmug.com) captured the images.
One of the 5 gates into the walled city of Harar, a world heritage site.
A typical street inside the walled city of Harar.
Dr. Dimmig assists one of the Ethiopian resident surgeons her first complete cataract surgery.
A traumatic cataract in a young woman.
Post op check.
A happy post op patient.
Joy of sight restoration!
Triumph!
Seeing her fingers for the first time in many years.
Rejoicing at receiving sight again.
Dr. Dimmig with post op patients and their families.
Dr. Oliva celebrates with a patient.
Dr. Dimmig and the Ethiopian team.
Dr. Dimmig and Oliva (Oregon) along with Ethiopian surgeons Dr. Mandefro and Alemu.