BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - "Providing children vision gives them a better chance at life in Afghanistan, "said Maj. Marcus Neuffer, ophthalmologist assigned to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.
Here if children cannot see to perform normal daily tasks, there is a possibility they will be left behind in their village to fend for themselves.
Neuffers primary job here is to take care of patients with traumatic eye injuries but when he is not busy in the operation room, Neuffer and his technician, Airman 1st Class Chellbie Gonzales, spend their spare time providing humanitarian support to local nationals.
"At home we mainly perform refractive surgery and provide specialty eye care," said the cornea and refractive surgeon deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.
Not only is Gonzales Neuffer's assistant here, but she is his assistant at Keesler too. They are both sharing their first deployment mission and humanitarian effort together. Every week they go to the Korean hospital to treat patients from off base.
"The eye injuries and conditions here are not common in the United States, because the environment, health care system and patient demographics are different," they both commented.
Neuffer is currently the only doctor on Bagram who is qualified to operate on eyes. If a local patient comes in to one of the humanitarian hospitals, the Korean or Egyptian hospital, and is need of an eye surgery, they are brought to the Craig Hospital. So far he has operated on a dozen Afghan patients.
"I have performed cataract surgery on three children here so far, a 12-month-old boy, a 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy," said Neuffer, a native of Salt Lake City. "A child's eye sight stops developing at about eight, if I can perform surgery before then, with glasses, the children should be able to regain enough vision to perform daily tasks."
Cataracts are typically seen in older adults and severely limit vision. In the U.S. when found in children, cataracts are usually removed within the first two months of life.
"Unfortunately the Afghan children don't have as good of health care here and some are left blind their whole life," said Gonzales, native of Hemet, Cali. "It's hard to tell exactly how old each patient is because the lack of medical care and records."
After the surgery, Gonzales schedules follow up appointments for a day, a week and one month out to track the patient's progress. On the second appointment glasses are issued.
"My job is very rewarding here," said Gonzales. "There's something special about seeing the children recognize objects and interact with the world."
According to Neuffer, so far the outcome of these procedures on children has been good. For one 8-year-old-boy, it's been an awakening. Months ago, he picked up a mine while playing outside and which then exploded in his hands, resulting in cataracts amongst other injuries.
"When I first met him, his father led him by the hand because he could only see light," said Neuffer. "A week after his surgery when the bandages came off, he put on glasses I gave him and he was able to see our faces. He was so excited he could see again he jumped up, pushed his family out of the way and ran straight into a wall. It was a happy but comical moment for us."
Neuffer said he joined the Air Force to help those in need.
"Someday when the this place is safer I hope to establish a program that will help everyone, for now my goal is to give children as much vision as possible," said Neuffer. "Having vision allows people to work and contribute to make their society better."