Vision services

Restored sight changes everything: independence at home, work, school, the ability to read a prescription or recognize a grandchild. Social Vision helps arrange eye examinations and specialist appointments with ophthalmology partners in Cuenca. Support depends on available funds and a review of the need.

What the program covers, subject to available funds

• Eye examinations when a person cannot afford to have a problem looked at
• Advanced ophthalmology for conditions that need a specialist
• Help arranging appointments and understanding the next steps recommended by a specialist
• Treatment of advanced eye defects, as Ian received at Exilaser

Who it is for

Adults and children in Cuenca whose eyesight is failing and whose families cannot pay for the specialist care they need. Older people living alone are often the ones who wait longest; a neighbor or a family member can ask on their behalf.

How it works

After a short request, a coordinator arranges an examination with a partner specialist. The specialist proposes the treatment; the foundation reviews the cost and, where approved, funds or coordinates it. Follow-up appointments are part of the plan, not an afterthought.

The eye team

A long friendship with Exilaser, a modern eye clinic in Cuenca, brings the expertise of Dr. Giuseppe Miotto, Dr. Diego Torres and Dra. Nataly Torres, a pediatric ophthalmologist, to the foundation’s patients. Claudia Tonon Zamora, Exilaser’s social worker, helps the foundation understand each patient’s situation.

About the name

The foundation is often mistaken for an eye clinic because of its name. Social Vision means a vision for people. Eye care is one of several programs alongside specialist care, medicines and supplies, and Paws of Hope.