Defeating Blindness in our Local and Global Communities
There are more than 36 million blind people worldwide, the vast majority of whom live in developing countries. Most of this blindness is completely avoidable. The Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has established a tradition of providing sight-restoring eye care for hundreds of people in Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, and Ukraine
We are expanding our vision and hope you will join us in support of the Global Outreach Project–a sustainable outreach and education program to restore sight and change lives in the developing world. Become a global visionary and help bring eye care to those who need it most.
Global Health Elective
Nepal
Bivek Wagle, MD, '25 alumnus, traveled on a mission rooted in compassion and shaped by personal experience. Dr. Wagle was humbled to return to rural villages in his home country of Nepal to deliver sight-saving care.India
Raj Vadhul, MD, '25 alumnus, experienced a global mission to South India. He provided care to underserved communities. Dr. Vadhul returned to his birthplace to provide eye care and cataract surgeries in local rural villages.Global Outreach Timeline
Global Outreach Project Funds
Steve Meadows, MD, 2005 alumni of the Ohio State University Ophthalmology residency program passed away unexpectedly from acute leukemia January 13, 2017. He leaves behind his wife of nearly 20 years, Julie, and sons Owen and Finn. Steve was a Buckeye through and through and completed both his undergraduate and medical degrees at Ohio State. Upon graduation from our program, he returned to his hometown of Cleveland where he was a partner at Fairview Eye Center in Cleveland. To honor his legacy, Steve’s family directed donations in his memory to the Havener Eye Institute Medical Missions and Outreach in Ophthalmology Fund. Julie Meadows generously made her own donation in addition to those made by friends and family for a grand total $50,000 in Steve’s memory. Shortly before Steve’s untimely passing, he had been making plans to participate in mission trips. Donations made in Steve’s honor will allow future residents to participate in these trips to carry out the work he hoped to do.
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John and Linda Pajka are well-acquainted with the importance of international outreach. Having completed healthcare service trips to many developing countries, they have seen first-hand the impact that can be made in a short time by a few dedicated individuals. Recently, John and Linda started an endowment to support a new medical education program providing eyecare in developing countries. This program not only allows OSU Ophthalmology residents to experience healthcare in underprivileged countries, but also provides eye care where the need is greatest. These mentored, service-learning experiences help shape future ophthalmologists to provide the best possible care with a spirit of compassion. John graduated with honors from OSU College of Medicine in 1986 and completed his ophthalmology residency at OSU Havener Eye Institute in 1990. Linda completed her nursing degree in 1986 at Ohio State.
Today, Dr. Pajka is an extremely busy ophthalmologist from Lima, Ohio who, together with his wife Linda, spends his vacation time bringing eye care to under-privileged countries, including Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti, Uzbekistan, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Costa Rica.
“People ask me why I do this mission thing so much,” said Pajka “and I frequently find myself quoting Dr. Havener, ‘Find a job you love and you don’t have to work anymore.’ Ever since my residency at OSU, my wife Linda and I wanted to do some sort of mission work.”
John and Linda have been all over the world, from Africa to Asia to Central America, bringing ophthalmic care to thousands of impoverished people. They are tireless in their dedication to restoring sight. They have donated their time and resources to work with local eye surgeons, providing cataract surgery and care to people who otherwise would remain sightless. When the opportunity to start a program that would educate future eye surgeons and help those in greatest need, they were enthusiastic in their support.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to do this, giving back, paying forward,” said Pajka. “I have a great job and missions like this help remind me why I went into medicine, to help people. There is nothing like it!”
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Andrew Fogarty shared a lasting bond with his ophthalmologist, Dr. Robert Chambers. During each visit, the two would talk about Dr. Chambers’ experiences providing eye care in underserved parts of the world, stories that left a deep impression on Andrew and his family. His daughters, Patti McElroy and Cathy Busemeyer, still remember sitting beside their father during those appointments, listening to conversations filled with compassion and purpose.
When Andrew passed away, Patti, Cathy, their brothers, and the Fogarty family wanted to honor both their father’s spirit and Dr. Chambers’ lifelong commitment to helping others. They established the Andrew and Rosemary Fogarty Global Eye Health Fund, an endowment created on August 21, 2025, to carry forward that shared legacy. The fund supports global ophthalmology outreach, bringing critical eye care and education to communities where it’s needed most.
Dr. Robert & Deanne Chambers, with Patti and Joe McElroy.
