The dots on the dominoes were so blurry Guillermo Guitierrez could barely play the game.  Driving had become impossible and his part time job let him go because of his failing vision.  His family had been depending on his income to help in these hard economic times.

Una Bailey used to work caring for patients in their homes, driving them to the store and to appointments. One year ago her vision became so blurry from cataracts that she could no longer see.  Now Una is paying someone to help her around the house.  “I used to cook for the family and now my sight is so poor I cannot see to read the recipes or tell what temperature the oven is at.”

Both Guillermo and Una feel like they have been born again!  “My life and freedom are back” says Una. “The street signs are so clear”, said Guillermo.  “I am applying for part time work now to help my family.”  My domino buddies better look out because I am back.” 

What happened to Guillermo and Una is a true miracle if you ask them.  Both Guillermo and Una, along with 15 other needy South Floridians, were fortunate enough to have their vision restored in Broward County’s first Thanksgiving Day of Sight. Seeing is Believing, is a project of community service for un-insured needy citizens with blindness from cataracts. Patients obtain state-of-the-art surgical restoration of their vision. 

The project is headed by Randy Burks, MD, and Raymond Gailitis, MD, ophthalmologists from Margate.  Burks is a veteran charity surgeon.  He has led expeditions into El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, and the Amazon Jungle of Brazil to help blind people see again.  Dr. Gailitis has participated in project Orbis, assisting patients in Eastern Europe.  Both physicians teach foreign doctors during these expeditions.  In this way the local eye specialists can learn techniques and assist their own needy citizens. 

In developing nations, persons affected with blindness become a burden to their families and their community.  They cannot work or help provide for their large, extended families.  “If we can restore vision to these people we help the whole family and the community,” said Burks.  “When we teach the local surgeons to perform these procedures, the giving can continue through them.”

Dr.’s Burks and Gailitis were planning their next expedition when the recession hit and they saw first hand how the loss of a job and health coverage can affect people.  They came to the conclusion that their efforts to restore sight to people blinded by cataracts this year should be right here at home.  As Gailitis said, “The insured get care and truly indigent patients can obtain care through Medicaid.  There is a very large segment of the population though, whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to buy health insurance.  These people slip through the cracks in our healthcare system.”

The doctors teamed up with the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach and The Broward Health Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale.  Both centers see and treat un-insured patients with all types of medical conditions.  Through the center’s volunteer ophthalmologists, Lou Feldgoise, MD, Andrew Logan, MD, and Jacqueline Smith, MD, needy patients were screened and forwarded for surgical care. 

The Outpatient Surgical Center at Coral Springs, a Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA) surgical center, generously provided the facility and supplies, at no cost to the patients.  Jeff Rosenberg, the center’s director and Rena Corte, HCA’s South Florida’s Director of Outpatient Surgical Centers both said they could not resist the opportunity to help the needy citizens of Broward and South Palm Beach. “We are committed to delivering quality surgical care to all patients.  To be able to help our physicians give this kind help to the needy in our community is an honor.”  Our entire staff volunteered to help by coming in on Saturday without pay and assisted the surgeons performing these life altering surgeries.  Bill Weisberg, MD, the center’s Medical director, led the team supporting the surgeons.

Playing dominoes, reading and cooking again are just some added bonuses for the patients touched by Burks and Gailitis and their team of volunteers.  “I was able to see my granddaughter’s face for the first time” said Una.  “My world has been opened up and it is fantastic!”