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For the eyes only!

Interview with

Thibaut Leroy,

ophthalmologist, and co-founder of Terres d'Ophtalmo

He is one of those people you like imme- ing practitioners on site. One of the par-
diately when you meet them. Friendly, ticularities of such humanitarian surgery is
competent and generous, he knows how the complexity of the interventions when
to put his patients at ease. Since 2015, Dr. cataracts are in an advanced state. These are
Leroy has been participating in humanitar- indeed much "harder" to deal with. On the
ian ophthalmological surgery missions. He other hand, the surgical material available
first joined the association Pour les Yeux in poor countries is reduced to a minimum
du Monde with which he left for Cambo- and is often in poor condition. So, all these
dia to operate on the block boat sailing on facts together made Dr Leroy and his friends
the Mekong River, then in 2016 and 2017 to decide to set up their own association where
Madagascar, in the St Damien clinic in the quality and sustainability are key.
Ambanja district.
After all, the eyes are important parts of
In 2018, he and his friend Dr. Camille Ram- our body, and becoming blind is one of the
baud set up the association Terres d'Ophtal- worst things that can happen to a person
mo. This association aims to perpetuate the who used to have a full-fledged vision. The
ophthalmological care of patients by train- blind are often excluded from society, so,

34 W W W . D I VA I N T E R N A T I O N A L . C H