The ophthalmologist fighting blindness and attending to the eye needs of country folk for decades

In a small and shabby room in the countryside, Mennonite Christian Hospital ophthalmologist Hsu Ming-Muh (許明木) and his eye care health prevention team are busily preparing to conduct eyesight tests on the elderly. Using large clips and black cloth to block out the light from the windows, the team only require some simple tables, chairs and electric fans to transform churches, schools and lounges into temporary clinics. 

A winner of this year’s prestigious Medical Dedication Award, Doctor Hsu Ming-Muh has been practicing medicine in the rural communities of eastern Taiwan for over 10 years. Armed with just a simple ophthalmoscope and retinoscope, he provides free clinics in rural areas where medical treatment is inconvenient, and has solved the eye problems of countless elderly indigenous people.

With no opticians in rural areas, let alone the facilities to test the eyesight of children, Doctor Hsu places a great deal of importance on children’s eyesight. He said that eyesight is paramount in a child’s learning, a fact too often neglected in rural areas. Doctor Hsu has been holistically caring for children and the elderly for over 10 years, focusing on not only correcting eyesight problems, but also showing real concern for each and every individual. 

The ophthalmologist fighting blindness and attending to the eye needs of country folk for decades 

URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/290345

(以下為中文對照)

偏鄉防盲數十載，眼科醫師為弱勢顧目睭

門諾醫院眼科醫師許明木的視力保健團隊，正努力把遮光用的黑布，想盡辦法掛在簡陋的小房間窗戶上，以方便讓老人家來做視力眼篩。只要簡單的幾塊黑布，幾個大夾子，簡單的桌椅或電扇，就可以將教會，學校，客廳變成了臨時的診療所。

許明木醫師在東部行醫超過十多年，也是今年的醫療奉獻獎的得主，由於偏鄉就醫不便，十幾年前他決定開始走進社區，以簡單的眼底鏡以及視網膜鏡，走遍偏鄉義診，解決了許多部落老人的視力問題。許明木也注重孩子的視力問題，因為有些偏鄉連眼鏡行都沒有，何況是驗光配鏡？他說視力對孩子的教育學習非常的重要，但在偏鄉卻常常被忽略。十多年過去了，不論是老人家或小孩，都是他關注的對象，許醫師常說，在偏鄉他要看的是「病人」，至於看「病」呢，可能是另外一件事了！