MEH Visits Soup Kitchens in the Winter
Following Armenia’s long, hard, cold winter the Mobile Eye Hospital emerges from hibernation (Yerevan garage) and embarks on a 10-month journey to conduct eye screenings and treat patients throughout the marzes.

Treating the vulnerable and children is a top priority of the EyeCare Project.  Its first stop each year is “Haghtanak,” a nursing home in Yerevan, followed by visits to soup kitchens, more nursing homes, special schools and orphanages and a number of other local community groups and non-governmental organizations that care for the poor and underserved, the vulnerable and disabled, families of perished fighters, war veterans and Mission Armenia beneficiaries.

The screenings were organized so the visitors to the soup kitchens could benefit from the free meals and free screening at the same time. While some were eating dinner, others were examined by the AECP screening team.  Here residents of the Malatya-Sebastia community receive eye examinations.

This year the AECP screened 475 adults living in these facilities.  Of those people screened, 179 were identified as having eye problems requiring further care—50 extended examinations and treatment and 31 surgeries on the MEH; seven referrals to the Malayan Ophthalmological Center for treatment due to health problems; and 40 prescriptions for eye glasses.