Arnold optometrist Asra Sheikh took an eye-opening trip to Kenya to help provide much-needed eyecare.
Asra, who works at the Specsavers store on Front Street, traveled to the Thika area of Kenya to take part in the Shah Free Eye and ENT Camp. The annual camp provides free eyecare to some 15,000 people in the area.
While at the camp, Asra worked with a team of optometrists to provide eye tests and screen the patients for any eye conditions that may be affecting them.
Asra also able to refer those she inspected to an on-site volunteer ophthalmologist, so that any conditions she picked up on were referred directly on for further investigation.
During her week-long trip, the Specsavers optometrist also dispensed spectacles for those that needed them, as well as offering eye drops for those suffering from allergies or dry eyes.
For those that required medical treatment, Asra helped to take preliminary scans and biometry readings of their eyes to calculate the appropriate lens power for cataract surgery.
Asra said the trip had been ‘extremely rewarding’.
She said: “The camp is during the school holidays, so a huge volume of patients we saw were families. Many of the people we treated have very limited access to this kind of care, so it was fantastic to be able to offer such a vital health service.”
The charity-run camp, set up and funded by the Shree Jain Youth League, brings together teams of volunteers from across the world to provide free eye care services to people in the Thika area.
Specsavers Arnold store director Vineet Nehra said colleagues were very proud of Asra for using her expertise for such a worthy cause.
He said: “In the UK, we have some of the best healthcare in the world, which we can sometimes take for granted – so it’s good that we can help those who are less fortunate.
“We fully support any members of our team that want to offer their time and skills for charitable causes.’
For more information, please visit Specsavers at 37 Front Street, Arnold, Nottinghamshire NG5 7EA call 0115 967 0856 or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/arnold
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Great work Asra Sheikh.