Recent Trips
Baja California Feb 23rd – Mar 1, 2020
VOSH/CA conducted a week-long mobile campaign to 4 villages in Baja Norte with 8 optometry students from the student VOSH chapters at SCCO and Xochicalco University in Mexicali, Mexico.
Participants: Greg Pearl OD (trip leader), Mehrzad Namin, MD (ophthalmologist), Craig Lund (optician), Frank Mora (VOSH Campaign Coordinator), Joe Seliga, Laura Seliga, Ed Seliga, Jivan Hovsepyan (SCCO Student), Bradley Salus (SCCO Student), Ricardo Abarca (XU Student), Luis Ruiz (XU Student), Leslie González (XU Student), Juan Carlos Felix (XU Student), Joseline Alvarado (XU Student), Orlando Contreras (XU Student), Carlos Garcia (XU Student).
Itinerary:
February 22: We drove from Los Angeles to Tijuana and picked up 2 rental vans and an SUV to carry the clinic instruments. The SCCO students and Craig walked across the border at Tecate to ride in the van to Mexicali where we had dinner and spent the night.
February 23: We toured the Xochicalco University College of Optometry with the Dean, Ms Chavez, at 6am and picked up the 7 XU Optometry students. We drove to San Felipe for breakfast on the malecon and then continued to Guerrero Negro where we had dinner at the hotel after checking into the Cowboy Hotel for 3 nights.
February 24: We woke early and drove to the Casa Mexicans de la Bellena Gris where we got in two pangas and did some “grey whale petting” in the Bahia Magdalena. About 1000 whales migrate there each winter from Alaska for mating and calving. After the boat ride, we had lunch there and rested at the hotel until dinner at the Restaurante Malarrimo.
February 25: We drove to Villa Jesus Maria, ate breakfast at Mariscos Paulina and then examined 250 patients at the DIF center. Then we drove back to Guerrero Negro for dinner at the Nautilus Restaurante. February 26: After breakfast at the Naurilus, we examined about 200 high school students at the Centro Tecnologicos Del Mar in Guerrero Negro and then drove to San Quintin where we checked into The Old Mill for 2 nights and had dinner at the Molino Viejo.
February 27: After breakfast at the Eucalyptus, we drove to the Foundation for His Ministry orphanage in San Vincente where we examined anout 250, orphans and staff Then we returned to the Old Mill to have dinner at the Eucalyptus.
February 28: After breakfast at the Eucalyptus restaurant, we drove to Ensenada for lunch at El Meson de Don Fernando and some photos and then to Rosarito to check into the Fiesta Hotel for a two nights and had dinner at the Patio restaurant.
February 29: After breakfast at the Patio restaurant, we examined pabout 250 patients at the atrium of Rosarito City Offices. We had dinner at the El Nido restaurant that evening.
March 1: After breakfast at the Patio restaurant, we drove to Tijuana to return one of the vans and pick up my car so we could drive across the border at Tecate. Frank drove the Mexican students in the other van back to Mexicali before returning to Tijuana.
September 21, 2019 – TIJUANA, MX
SCCO students + Dr. Corina van De Pol
November 2019 – Tijuana, MX
Multiple refracting lanes in action! 
February 2020 – Tecate Mexico
Lead Doctor: Dr. Brian Nguyen Students: 12 total (4 SCCO, 3 WUCO, 5 SDSU) Patients Seen: 77 patients (4 patients short of the clinic record!) Approximate Clinic Run time: 7:30am – 3:30pm (~8 hours) Services provided: diseases screnning, refraction, optical fitting and dispensing Volunteers in attendance: 3 (Frank, Mike and Maria)
Cataract surgeries done next door! 
Teamwork 
Our wonderful optical volunteers from SDSU 
Checking pressures with ICARE tonometer 
The calm before the storm. This was at 7:30 AM and the line up wrapped around the corner. We only come once a month so the entire town knows when we are in.
VOSH believes in the freedom to see. Providing the gift of vision and eye health to people worldwide. We facilitate the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care. Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care.