Past Global Fellow Reflects on Her Year with Cure Blindness Project
Dr. Rachel Scott, past Global Ophthalmology Fellow with Stanford University and Cure Blindness Project, with Dr. Reeta Gurung, CEO of Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.
”My global ophthalmology fellowship with Stanford University and Cure Blindness Project has been filled with remarkable and moving experiences that have given me insights into not only different cultures and effective public health delivery across different settings but also into myself.”
In the words of Global Fellow Dr. Rachel Scott:
”As a woman abroad, I can’t help but notice differences in equity, understanding that they exist in different forms both in the U.S. and globally. Seeing how efforts in expanding access to ophthalmologic care make a difference not only in individual lives but also on a systemic level has been inspiring.
Dr. Scott and colleagues.
”While there are many examples that come to mind, one particularly poignant experience occurred with a female retina attending physician at a partner site in Nepal. We were in the retina clinic, when a woman in her later fifties came in with her husband for surgical evaluation. She was bilaterally blind, and her husband reported she could no longer do activities around the home like cooking and cleaning. They had traveled over twelve hours from India by train and foot to get here. Upon further history taking, we discovered she had become blind in her left eye a couple of years earlier but had not been assessed by any eye provider; her right eye on the other hand had gradually been losing vision until she had no longer been able to function well in the home, which prompted her assessment. On exam, the left eye had a complete retinal detachment with poor prognosis even with surgery given the chronicity. Fortunately, her vision in her right eye could be restored with a straightforward cataract surgery.
‘Is she just there to cook for you? To bear you children? Do you have no responsibility for her care?’
”The woman was noticeably quiet during the visit with her husband primarily speaking for her. The retina attending physician asked the husband why he didn’t bring her earlier and he explained that she was doing fine even when she wasn’t seeing out of her left eye. The retina physician was indignant, questioning, ‘Is she just there to cook for you? To bear you children? Do you have no responsibility for her care?’ and asserting, ‘If it was your eye, you would have been here within three days.’
”For me, it was a striking example of how health inequity can present in different cultures with access to care being impacted by numerous variables and even how the role of the physician as an advocate for their patient can vary. Indeed, multiple studies have found that preventable blindness due to cataract is much higher in women than men.
Dr. Scott and colleagues.
”While it was slightly jarring to see such direct and blunt communication with a patient’s family member, and in the U.S. it might be classified as ’paternalistic medicine,’ it was appropriate for the cultural context. The Nepali retina specialist, who trained in India, had a deep understanding of the dynamics at play and advocated for his patient in the best way possible in that specific situation. Gaining a cultural understanding is vitally important to effectively delivering and improving access to care, and Cure Blindness Project works with local partners to understand the needs of each community. It is through this partnership that we change lives and improve systems for everyone in our efforts to eliminate preventable blindness.”
Gaining a cultural understanding is vitally important to effectively delivering and improving access to care, and Cure Blindness Project works with local partners to understand the needs of each community.
— Dr. Rachel Scott, past Global Ophthalmology Fellow with Stanford University and Cure Blindness Project
At Cure Blindness Project, our work is defined by the dedicated clinicians who carry sight-saving care forward in their own communities. We’re honored to share the story of Dr. Abeba Tesfay of Quiha Hospital in Ethiopia—an inspiring ophthalmologist whose journey reflects the resilience, partnership, and long-term impact that strengthen eye care systems even in the most challenging circumstances. Her reflections illuminate how training, mentorship, and sustained collaboration can empower providers to rebuild, innovate, and expand access to quality eye care for all.
Dr. Lloyd B. Williams, recipient of the 2025 American Academy of Ophthalmology Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award, and long-time volunteer with Cure Blindness Project, embodies selflessness and dedication in his mission to restore sight worldwide.
Dr. Blake Marleau Snyder recently performed 800 cataract surgeries in Ethiopia with the Cure Blindness Project, a global effort to eliminate preventable blindness through a rapid, cost-effective procedure.
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About Angels in Medicine
Angels in Medicine is a volunteer site dedicated to the humanitarians, heroes, angels, and bodhisattvas of medicine. The site features physicians, nurses, physician assistants and other healthcare workers and volunteers who reach people without the resources or opportunities for quality care, such as teens, the poor, the incarcerated, the elderly, or those living in poor or war-torn regions. Read their stories at www.medangel.org.
Interested in writing for Angels in Medicine? Know about an Angel we should interview? Drop me a note at harry@medangel.org.
