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ize a Comorian ophthalmology gathering It costs about 30,000 euros and will make a
with several medical experts because the huge difference for the patients.
eyes are an organ that can have other pathol-
ogies – diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular dis- Q: Are you open for new members?
eases etc. For instance, patients with diabe- Of course, we welcome new members, those
tes have to have a regular follow-up because who can contribute something to the asso-
they might have problems with the eyes. So, ciation. We have a graphic designer who
the interns learn about different patholo- made our logo, we have somebody who
gies, and once the Conference is over, we go made the video, some are handling the fi-
to the different islands and there we train nancial management and the administra-
the interns in surgery for approximately two tion. We are open to everybody, wether they
weeks. We have a mission leaving for the are experts in logistics or have other skills.
Comoros in October/November, and I will We normally have one big meeting once
go with two other colleagues to Madagascar a year, during the big annual gathering of
for a two-week mission to evaluate the need ophthalmologists in Paris in May . Then we
and put in place the team to be in the field. have smaller meetings three or four times a
The clinic is already there, and there were year to share information. We are transpar-
surgeons working there earlier but for many ent, so, all the information is to be found on
years the clinic has been abandoned. So, we our website. https://www.terresdophtalmo.
must put it back in shape, and we have start- org/
ed crowdfunding for a machine giving us a While walking out of Dr Leroy’s office, after
chance to do cataract surgery. The machine having learned about all the good work he
is not bigger than a suitcase. With this ma- and his friends are doing, I can only wish
chine we can offer the same cataract oper- that there are others who can be inspired by
ation to the patients as they get in Europe. their work.

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