Suburban ophthalmologists and supporters bring gift of sight

Barrington ophthalmologist Gregory Nelson returns today from a trip that began on Christmas Day, but not for pleasure.

This is a working holiday for Nelson, who made his fifth visit in as many years to the small village of Jangaon in rural south central India.

His destination is the Nelson Curnyn Free Eye Clinic, which he started five years ago with Dr. Arnold Curnyn and Dr. Kimberlee Curnyn, some of his partners at Suburban Associates and Ophthalmology, based in Arlington Heights.

Together, they funded the start of the eye clinic and now travel there once a year to perform surgeries and monitor its growth. They continue to rely on donations to keep it going.

Before he left, Nelson sent over a large shipment of donated eye drops, surgical equipment and instruments. One of his vendors even contributed a phaco machine, the surgical machine Nelson uses in his suburban practice to perform cataract surgeries.

"I am really excited to get out there, so we can begin to incorporate this new technology in their care," said Nelson, who practices in Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village and Hoffman Estates, before starting his journey.

Getting out there is a commitment in itself. First, Nelson flew eight hours to London, before taking another 13-hour flight into India's interior.

Flying with him were his daughter, Emily Rose, a junior at Barrington High School; Katya Aribindi, a Naperville North High School senior interested in medicine, and Dave Alter, a Downers Grove resident and sophomore pre-med major at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Kimberlee Curnyn will head over later in January, with plans to lecture on cataract surgery to members of the All India Ophthalmology Society in Calcutta, before visiting the eye clinic in Jangaon.

"We're so thrilled with how the clinic has developed," she said, "and especially that we've been able to make this kind of technology available to them."

It was in 2005 that Nelson became aware of the need for eye care in Jangaon, from his mentor at the University of Illinois at Chicago Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Deepak Edward.

One of Edward's medical school classmates, Sr. M. Innamma, a trained obstetrician and gynecologist, had appealed to him for help in treating the increasing number of Indian residents suffering from blindness.

Sr. Innamma and her congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann established the Arogyamatha Udumala Hospital in 1984 to provide medical services to the surrounding 50 villages or nearly 100,000 people.

Eye care, however, was one area not being met. Since Nelson and his partners opened the clinic, Indian officials report more than 4,000 surgeries performed there.

"The impact of cataracts in the U.S. and in Jangaon are quite different," Nelson says. "Most of the people in Jangaon with cataracts are legally blind before surgery.

"If these patients can't see, they can't work, and they can't provide for their families," he adds. "It can lead to a sort of outcasting by other family members."

Nelson told the story of one patient, Mani Rathnam, from Jangaon. Rathnam had been blind for five years and was totally dependent on his wife for all his needs.

"He heard about our eye clinic and came for evaluation," Nelson wrote in an e-mail from Jangaon. Rathnam had dense cataracts, which were surgically removed. He is now seeing again and able to live independently and now he can take care of his wife again.

"The stories are quite similar," Nelson added. "With limited access to care their cataracts progress to a point their vision is severely limited. This can have numerous socioeconomic effects - loss of independence, inability to contribute with family responsibilities, inability to work, etc.

"What is gratifying is how a simple surgical procedure can dramatically change this, and return them to 'the living.' These patients are incredibly grateful for all we do it is almost embarrassing. It makes us want to keep coming back."

During his trip, Nelson is working closely with Dr. Mark Dsouza, an ophthalmologist from Mumbai, as well as the local doctors who visit the clinic two to three times a week during the rest of the year.

Nelson has trained them on the new phaco machine, as well as attended to administrative issues, including applying for grants and federal aid from India to ensure the clinic's survival.

"For me, this is something that began out of my devotion to my mentor, Dr. Edward," Nelson says, "and a desire to help others in need. It is a great feeling to know you have truly changed a person's life."