The headline for this month is that our CMIRC School Vision Screening Project has learned that Ophthalmologist Tayakorn Kupakanjana, M.D. (Dr. Nickie, left) of the St. Peter Eye Hospital has agreed to work closely with the SVSP and act as our medical advisor. This will add another level of care and referral for children with serious eye problems that cannot be resolved with glasses alone. Dr. Nickie received his M.D. in the UK and later was the chief resident at the Department of Ophthalmology at Thammasat University Hospital in Bangkok. He has now joined the medical staff at St. Peter Eye Hospital. Dr. Nickie gave an excellent presentation on children’s vision problems at our December 21 CMIRC meeting.
So, now, along with our excellent optician Khun One, and the surgical support from the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North’s Eye Service Foundation, we should be able to address children’s vision problems and provide help at every level of care.
Unfortunately, due to the continued resurgence of Covid-19 in Chiang Mai, we continue to face delays in our CMIRC School Vision Screening Project (SVSP). We still look forward to screening all 3rd and 5th graders at the 11 municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School this winter and spring in partnership with Optician Khun One at Chom Jun Optic, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana, and, if pediatric ophthalmological surgery is needed, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North’s Eye Service Foundation.
We are tentatively planning SVSP volunteer training for mid-January, with screenings in the municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School beginning in late January or early February. Because we will probably have only two months to complete our screenings and prescriptions for this academic year, we will need to screen at least two or three schools per week when we get started. We are hoping to train a large contingent of volunteers so that there will be trained substitutes for each of the screening stations. We recognize that many volunteers cannot be on call every week. Please contact Project Champion John Schorr if you’d like to volunteer and be trained: schoolvision@cmirotary.org, English or ไทย.
Once again, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so here is a list of these generous organizations, beginning with the Rotary Club of Spokane 21 whose donation of $2,500 this year will fund about 80% of our program !! THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB of SPOKANE 21!!!
The total program budget for next year is estimated at about $3,000 US dollars, so we are still somewhat short. If you wish to learn how you can help, please contact Project Champion John Schorr at schoolvision@cmirotary.org or tel.: 66 (0)8 5030 2143, US Skype # 386 490-8100 CMIRC Member Volunteer Hours for the Month of December: 20 (Chair, 6; Committee Members 4, Volunteers 10 ).
Our 2021-2022 School Vision Screening Donor Team: