Dr. Paul Imperia knows first hand what it is like to have poor vision. Once designated as legally blind himself, he has dedicated his life following the successful LASIK surgery that returned sight to his eyes to offering the same kind of care to patients of all ages in Southern Oregon.

ABOVE: Dr. Paul Imperia (far right) worked at the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Medicos in El Progreso, Honduras, sponsored by Surgical Eye Expeditions International. BELOW: Patients of the hospital. Photos courtesy of Paul Imperia | For the Tidings

In December of last year, his dedication led him thousands of miles from home, far from the well equipped centers that host his work in Grants Pass and Medford, all the way to the rougher confines of a clinic in the city of El Progreso in Honduras. Accompanied and assisted by his wife, Laura Imperia, a registered nurse, Imperia performed 49 operations in seven days for Hondurans who otherwise would not have access to the procedures that can save sight.

Imperia, a 49 year-old ophthalmologist specializing in vision correction, has performed more than 20,000 refractive surgeries over the course of his career. The journey to a distant country he had never visited before proved to be a homecoming of sorts.

A patient of the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Medicos in El Progreso, Honduras.

"This experience reminded me why I went into ophthalmology in the first place," Imperia said. ""It was a great experience and, despite many challenges along the way, went very well. All the patients were severely visually impaired from cataracts, some blind in their only eye. To be able to give the gift of sight to people who are in such need is very special."

Since returning to work at the Medical Eye Center back home, Imperia has been spreading the word to other surgeons of the widespread need and personal satisfaction he found on his trip to Honduras. The project was sponsored by Surgical Eye Expeditions International (SEE), a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides medical, surgical and educational services by volunteer ophthalmic surgeons to restore sight to disadvantaged blind individuals worldwide.

Founded by a California eye surgeon in 1974, SEE has coordinated the work of hundreds of surgeons in performing thousands of sight saving operations in countries throughout the world. From his experience with SEE, Imperia has come to understand just how large the need for volunteers is.

In Honduras alone, the World Health Organization estimates that there are over 75,000 blinding cataracts among the Honduran population. Correspondingly, the organization has estimated that only approximately 5000 eye surgeries are performed in the country each year due to a lack of surgeons and facilities. To meet this challenge, a clinic called the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Medicos was established in El Progreso, the country's fourth largest city (population 200,000). The clinic's partnership with SEE has proven to be vital in bringing in the volunteer surgical expertise needed.

While the December 2006 was his first trip as an international volunteer, Imperia is sure that it will not be his last. He hopes that by spreading the word on the work being done, he will become one of an increasing number of surgeons making an impact.

"We're very fortunate that we can do a 30 minute procedure that make such a huge difference in peoples' lives," Imperia said.

For more information on Surgical Eye Expeditions International, please visit http://www.seeintl.org. For more information on Dr. Paul Imperia's work with the Medical Eye Center in Southern Oregon please visit http://www.medicaleyecenter.com