On Saturday, February 9^th, 2008: Friends Across the Border did a vision-screening clinic in Tecate, Mexico.  We departed our usual staging areas in Yucaipa at 5:00am, Hemet at 5:45am and Menifee at 6:30am.  By 8:10am we were pulling into Barrett’s Junction for breakfast.  We departed our breakfast stop and headed to the border, crossing at 9:30am.  Within a half hour we were set up and clinic had started.  The last patient of the day was leaving with their recycled eyeglasses at 3:30pm.

Listed below is a synopsis of the day’s clinical findings:

•  150 patients were seen for the day.
• of the 150 patients, 3 needed no prescription, 13 need their prescription made at the optical  lab and the balance received recycled eyeglasses.
• 7 patients need cataract surgery on at least one eye.
• 2 patients need follow up/treatment for glaucoma
• 1 patient needs laser treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
• 2 patients need surgical treatment for pterygium’s.

After the equipment and eyeglasses were repacked, we sat down to a nice meal and conversion with the Tecate Lions.  We left the clubhouse at 4:30pm and were in line at the border crossing at 4:40pm.  Across the border at 5:20pm we headed for our usual refueling stop in Rancho San Diego.  We arrived at 5:50 pm and by 6:20pm we were headed home.  As we picked no one up in Menifee we arrived directly in Hemet at 8:00pm.  With the equipment off loaded the balance of the group headed for the final staging area in Yucaipa.  By 9:00pm the group was headed home from Yucaipa.

It was a nice day for all involved directly with the clinic and showed the true spirit of helping those less fortunate then ourselves.