BAHIR DAR 2018
In December of 2018 Dr. Dimmig and a team from the Himalayan Cataract Project (www.cureblindness.org) traveled to Bahir Dar for the areas first cataract outreach. Bahir Dar sits on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. Local ophthalmologist Dr. Hiwot is one of 3 ophthalmologists in this area of 8 million people. Dr. Dimmig taught trabeculectomy and glaucoma drainage device surgery (both glaucoma surgeries) to Dr. Hiwot the first 2 days he was in Bahir Dar. The outreach camp included Dr. Goeff Tabin and Ethiopian Drs. Muluken and Hiwot along with 2 resident Ethiopian surgeons. Over a 7 day camp the team performed 1437 cataract surgeries.
Dr. Tabin with an 8 year old girl who had been bilaterally blind for 3 years from cataract. She had become aggressive and combative having retreated into a defensive world of blindness. After surgery she became a laughing, joyous child.
All smiles!
Dr. Dimmig and Flora, a superb surgical scrub, in traditional Ethiopian clothes at the last night's celebration.
Dr. Dimmig's ('JD') number labels to go on the patches for his patients the last day of the camp.
An aerial view of Bahir Dar, a thriving city on the banks of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile.
Dr. Tabin celebrates with a patient.
Dr. Dimmig checks on a postoperative patient.
Timmy celebrates with a man that had a one prosthetic eye (he lost it in 'the war' 40 years ago). He had become blind from cataract in his only remaining eye. His prosthetic was shattered thus we nicknamed him 'shattered'.
Timmy with 'Shattered'.
Dr. Dimmig teaches glaucoma surgery techniques to the local surgeon Dr. Hiwot.
This man had been paralyzed from the waist down 20 years ago, then he went bilaterally blind. We were able to give him back his sight!
A joyous patient!
Dr. Hiwot with 2 patients post glaucoma surgery.
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