From The Tribune-Review
Andrea L. Zrimsek
Staff Writer
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Montserrat is a small British-ruled island in the Caribbean Sea that is about the size of Washington, D.C.
Less developed than many of its neighboring islands, Montserrat lies about 30 miles off the coast of Anguilla and can only be accessed by plane, helicopter or ferry from Anguilla.
When the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted in July 1995 it blanketed the island with ash and completely wiped out the capital city of Plymouth, leaving it uninhabitable to this day.
The eruption forced almost two thirds of the population of 13,000 off the tiny island and left most of the infrastructure at minimal levels at best.
Eventually many of the refugees returned, and the now 8,400 residents are still working to rebuild their homeland.
It almost goes without saying that health care, among other basic needs, is minimal, meaning even the most basic medical problem can have a severe impact on a person's life.
One local ophthalmologist decided he could make a difference and joined two other doctors, one who had been making the trip to Montserrat each year, on their annual visit to the tropical paradise.
While there, they would provide routine eye exams, screen for diabetes and tumors, perform cataract surgery and fit residents with glasses.
"The area is so poor that people are extremely grateful just to get reading glasses," says Dr. Troy Karlik.
"Something that basic can make a huge difference in their life."
Since the volcano's eruption forced most of the natives off of the island and not all have returned, most of the remaining residents are older.
And with age comes an array of eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts and near-and far-sightedness.
"Most of the surgeries we performed were to get people more ambulatory," he says, adding cataracts close off part of the vision leaving older people more afraid of moving around.
The removal of the cataracts can give people a whole new lease on life.
But the surgeries were unlike those he performs routinely at UPMC Passavant.
Since funding and equipment were limited and an old school was serving as their medical facility, Karlik performed cataract surgery using an older technique.
Something that, he says, helped him realize there are many means of treating the same ailment and that you have to work with what is available to you.
"In the U.S. our health care is immediate. If something is wrong you call your doctor and go see him," he says.
"Down there if you're getting headaches from poor vision you might have to wait months to have someone look at you and during that time your quality of life diminishes. We really take things for granted here."
Karlik says there is a make-shift hospital on the island now that provides some services, but healthcare is still at a premium and residents are grateful for any help they can get.
During his visit, Karlik and his colleagues examined up-wards of 50 patients per day and performed as many as six cataract surgeries on each of the three days they operated.
And he did all this while in plain sight of the massive volcano that is still a looming threat to the entire island and its inhabitants.
While he could always see the Soufriere Hills volcano from where he was, he says he never ventured over to its base, because he did not want to inhale the caustic ash.
This was the first humanitarian trip for Karlik, a relatively young eye doctor who finished his residency just last year and joined his older brother Dr. Jeff Karlik in his West View practice in August 2004.
Their younger brother, Brett, is in ophthalmology school now and will be joining them in practice upon graduation.
Karlik says the trip was a huge success and really opened his eyes to how fortunate he is.
If enough donations are raised and the proper equipment is secured, he may go on the trip again next year.
