Wolfe Clinic Surgeon Travels to China on Medical Mission
February 27, 2006
A childhood dream continues to become reality for Dr. Donny W. Suh, a pediatric ophthalmologist with Wolfe Eye Clinic who recently returned from Dali, China where he took part in an 11-day medical mission provided by the ORBIS program. This international nonprofit organization, which draws its name from the eyeball, or orbit, is dedicated to saving sight and eliminating avoidable blindness. “ORBIS gives physicians the opportunity to share their skills, but we receive the benefit of helping others with visual impairments,” Suh said. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Suh came to America at age 13. Through ORBIS, he’s traveled to places like India, Peru and the Philippines. “ Traveling and helping people is something I’ve always wanted to do. That was part of why I chose the medical field, “ said Suh. “ORBIS allows me to also interact with other volunteer doctors, nurses and technicians from all over the world with the same common goal of helping people.” After long flights on four different airlines, Dr. Suh was welcomed in Dali by lines of patients awaiting an exam. While visiting, he was able to screen patients, perform surgeries and train regional eye care professionals. In fact, Dr. Suh brought Chinese doctors their first demonstration of a surgery to correct droopy eyelids as well as their first observation of a special instrument used in tear duct operations. Dr. Suh also trained local surgeons and doctors at the Affiliated Hospital of Dali Medical College in battling childhood strabismus, a condition where the eyes do not point in the same direction that can lead to the development of lazy eye in children. “Local doctors were very curious of the American culture and how we live,” he said. “And I achieved my goals of learning different techniques and sharing knowledge. It was extremely rewarding and very satisfying.” At night, ORBIS staff from Shanghai treated Dr. Suh to a variety of ethnic food from Dali’s Yunnan province in southwest China. “I was able to see a part of many different ethnic backgrounds. There were Buddhists, Muslims, Christians- people from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds,” Suh said. Dali is a former regional capital and mountainous home to about 500,000 diverse Chinese. Suh’s return brought with it a deeper appreciation for his staff and American freedoms as well as a new respect for the cultures he experience. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are an estimated 40 million people affected by blindness worldwide. About 90 percent of the world’s blind live in developing countries, and almost 80 percent of those cases may have been avoidable, preventable or treatable with available interventions reaching those who were afflicted. Many of those suffering live where doctors lack the necessary training or equipment to restore sight. In practice since 1919, Wolfe Clinic is a recognized regional diagnostic and surgical center offering a broad range of professional specialties of ophthalmology and otolaryngology. Dr. Suh is available for consultations in West Des Moines, Marshalltown and Ames. For more information visit Wolfe Eye Clinic online at www.wolfeclinic.com.