Last summer, I had the privilege of examining and treating a dozen orphaned children visiting from the Ukraine. This summer, we repeated the process, however, the children came from the isolated country of Kyrgyzstan. The kids are here on a two week “tour” in which they stay with a volunteer host family and travel around southern California to perform traditional Kyrgystani song and dance.
The kids are so wonderful, full of smiles and play, so normal; until your think about where they actually live and what challenges they will face during their lives. We hosted a nine year old boy, Andrey, who was an amazingly bright and sweet child. He loved to play with my three kids, ride a scooter, use the ipad, and always tried to comply with our wishes. Andrey was the most effective assistant I had in the office as I performed eye exams on the rest of the kids. He would speak to them in Russian, informing them where they needed to look and how to place their chin correctly on the testing equipment. He took away any anxieties they may have experienced during their exam.
All in all, the kids had great eye health and vision. I found no dramatic problems and no need for glasses on any of the children. Last year, I provided glasses for a few of the kids from Ukraine, including their chaperone. Whatever the case may be, in the mountainous region of Kyrgyzstan, their genes, lifestyle, and diet provide for a healthy visual system.
By the way, after much consideration, my family has begun the adoption process to bring Andrey into our family. We know we can provide him with the only thing in the world any child needs: a loving family.
Thanks for reading,
Dr. David B. Rosenblum
Eyesite Newport Coast
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