Omaha eye surgeon travels the world to offer vision and hope – KETV Omaha
♫ Tuesday, February 18th, 2020In a couple weeks, he'll go to South America. A few months ago, he traveled to India and this summer he will return. Omaha eye surgeon, Dr. Donny Suh, (pronounced "saw"), is no stranger to volunteer mission trips, first traveling to offer his expertise and services more than 20 years ago with the vising saving organization, Orbis. "I feel very honored and privileged," said Suh, who took a moment from his work as Chief of Pediatric Opthalmology at Children's Hospital and Medical Center, to talk about his volunteer work. Suh also teaches at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and he see patients at Nebraska Medicine where he tackles the most challenging eye issues. He recently returned from a trip to Bihar State, India, where he helped with hospital based training doing cataract surgeries on children. Suh supervised 18 surgeries with trained Indian doctors, showing them how to use the latest surgical equipment provided by the non-profit, Orbis. "This place was particularly advanced. But they were using equipment that was 20 to 30 years old," he said.Surgeons in that hospital perform about 300 surgeries a day. Orbis has 400 volunteer faculty worldwide from more than 30 countries working to prevent blindness around the globe. In Omaha, Suh said he might see two or three children per week with cataracts. About a billion people worldwide have a vision issue that could be prevented or hasn't been addressed. Suh said pediatric cataracts are very common in India because of malnutrition, poor prenatal care and a lack of immunizations. Cataracts make the lens of the eye more opaque, blocking light and causing blindness. "We were in the poorest part of India where everyone lives day to day," said Suh. He said the team of doctors and nurses worked out of an inspiring eye hospital which served multiple purposes. He said the man who built Akhand Jyoti Hospital/School saw the need to serve some of the poorest people on Earth, but also he built it as an educational opportunity to hire girls to work there, train, study, play soccer, and become optometrists."He saw that a lot of girls were being married as teenagers and wanted more for them," said Suh. He said more than 500 young women are now working as eye doctors. Suh often talks about the role vision plays in all aspects of life, especially for a growing child."Vision is responsible for 75 to 85-percent of development. Sight is not just sight. It gives people hope," said Suh. He said he's seen multiple children over the years who couldn't even take their first steps until they were able to see others walk and model the behavior."They would get up and walk the very next day after surgery," he said.KETV has reported on Suh in the past, featuring his efforts to bring vision screenings, training, and an eye clinic to Guatemala. The South Korea native who grew up in dire poverty with his brother and single mom said it's his mission to give back to others, especially in third-world countries. In his recent book, "Catching a Star: My Story of Hope", Suh talks about his childhood, his desire to help others, and life-changing encounters with patients.He writes about a mother who gave birth to a child with multiple genetic and health challenges including a lack of clear vision because of cataracts. Doctors said the baby had just months to live. Suh said the mother begged him to do eye surgery on the child so that when her baby met her in heaven one day, the child would recognize her face. Suh said he was deeply moved by the mother's request and told her, "I will give you my 100-percent so that the baby can see you after surgery."He said, the next day, the baby couldn't stop staring at the mother's face. The child is now 3 and a half years old. "It's truly incredible," said Suh. He believes vision played a large part in helping the child to live. All proceeds from the sale of Suh's book will go toward medical missions and helping children to see. His book is available on Amazon.
In a couple weeks, he'll go to South America. A few months ago, he traveled to India and this summer he will return. Omaha eye surgeon, Dr. Donny Suh, (pronounced "saw"), is no stranger to volunteer mission trips, first traveling to offer his expertise and services more than 20 years ago with the vising saving organization, Orbis.
"I feel very honored and privileged," said Suh, who took a moment from his work as Chief of Pediatric Opthalmology at Children's Hospital and Medical Center, to talk about his volunteer work. Suh also teaches at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and he see patients at Nebraska Medicine where he tackles the most challenging eye issues.
Dr. Suh takes pride in helping to train eye surgeons with the latest technology.
He recently returned from a trip to Bihar State, India, where he helped with hospital based training doing cataract surgeries on children. Suh supervised 18 surgeries with trained Indian doctors, showing them how to use the latest surgical equipment provided by the non-profit, Orbis.
"This place was particularly advanced. But they were using equipment that was 20 to 30 years old," he said.
Surgeons in that hospital perform about 300 surgeries a day.
Orbis has 400 volunteer faculty worldwide from more than 30 countries working to prevent blindness around the globe.
In Omaha, Suh said he might see two or three children per week with cataracts.
About a billion people worldwide have a vision issue that could be prevented or hasn't been addressed.
Dr. Donny Suh has volunteered on mission trips for 20 years.
Suh said pediatric cataracts are very common in India because of malnutrition, poor prenatal care and a lack of immunizations. Cataracts make the lens of the eye more opaque, blocking light and causing blindness.
"We were in the poorest part of India where everyone lives day to day," said Suh. He said the team of doctors and nurses worked out of an inspiring eye hospital which served multiple purposes. He said the man who built Akhand Jyoti Hospital/School saw the need to serve some of the poorest people on Earth, but also he built it as an educational opportunity to hire girls to work there, train, study, play soccer, and become optometrists.
"He saw that a lot of girls were being married as teenagers and wanted more for them," said Suh. He said more than 500 young women are now working as eye doctors.
Suh often talks about the role vision plays in all aspects of life, especially for a growing child.
"Vision is responsible for 75 to 85-percent of development. Sight is not just sight. It gives people hope," said Suh.
He said he's seen multiple children over the years who couldn't even take their first steps until they were able to see others walk and model the behavior.
"They would get up and walk the very next day after surgery," he said.
KETV has reported on Suh in the past, featuring his efforts to bring vision screenings, training, and an eye clinic to Guatemala.
The South Korea native who grew up in dire poverty with his brother and single mom said it's his mission to give back to others, especially in third-world countries.
Suh and his brother were born in South Korea.
In his recent book, "Catching a Star: My Story of Hope", Suh talks about his childhood, his desire to help others, and life-changing encounters with patients.
He writes about a mother who gave birth to a child with multiple genetic and health challenges including a lack of clear vision because of cataracts. Doctors said the baby had just months to live. Suh said the mother begged him to do eye surgery on the child so that when her baby met her in heaven one day, the child would recognize her face.
Suh said he was deeply moved by the mother's request and told her, "I will give you my 100-percent so that the baby can see you after surgery."
He said, the next day, the baby couldn't stop staring at the mother's face. The child is now 3 and a half years old. "It's truly incredible," said Suh.
He believes vision played a large part in helping the child to live.
All proceeds from the sale of Suh's book will go toward medical missions and helping children to see.
His book is available on Amazon.
Originally posted here:
Omaha eye surgeon travels the world to offer vision and hope - KETV Omaha