A Douglas optometrist has recently dedicated more than three weeks to providing vital eye care services to communities in Malawi.

Kelly McMullin, who works at at Gillian Sheard Opticians in Douglas, travelled to the African country where eye-care professionals are scarce, expensive and often geographically inaccessible.

This lack of access impacts all aspects of life, from children struggling to learn in school to adults navigating daily life with severely limited vision.

To help address this critical issue, the Glen Vine woman joined forces with Cardiff University, where she previously studied, in an initiative led by Professor Barbara Ryan MBE and Peter Hong MBE alongside a whole team of students.

During the self-funded trip, Kelly supervised and supported the team in providing outreach in rural communities, examining patients and referring them for assessments, and also visiting local universities and hospitals to share knowledge and provide training.

Speaking about her experience, Kelly said: ‘It was a truly incredible experience and I’m really thankful that I was able to go and not only help others by improving their vision but also to help the community long-term by providing resources, knowledge and training that will improve their eye care services for generations.

‘I’d also like to extend a huge heartfelt thank you to the Isle of Man community, who rallied together to donate thousands of pairs of glasses, which we were able to bring with us and donate to Malawi communities.

‘It makes me so proud and grateful to be surrounded by so many kind people and to see the impact that can have on those less fortunate than us around the world is amazing – it’s quite literally life-changing.’

Over the course of the trip, the team funded roughly 270 cataract surgeries in Malawi, travelled to remote villages over an hour from tarmac roads and provided sight tests to around 1,000 people.

Spectacle donations made by people across the island have been donated directly to individuals who were provided with sight tests, with any that weren’t used during the trip being donated for future use alongside further donations such as medical contact lens fitting sets.

The team also worked closely with Mzuzu University and Mzuzu Central Hospital, as well as Blantyre Hospital.

Kelly joined in delivering lectures and workshops with students as well as training students in refraction and taking them to the outreach facility in the hopes of continuing the work there in the future.

Kelly added: ‘It was really tough at times. There were instances where we could see pathology but had no way to fix it with Malawi’s current infrastructure.

‘Sometimes their vision had simply declined too far.

‘However, everything we did felt worth it.

‘There was a gentleman in his 20s with -15 refraction and we were able to improve his vision.

‘It really opens your eyes to how much you can help someone using the skills that you’ve learnt over the years.

‘We were able to donate so much, even toys were donated to children in the community and the experience gained by students both from the UK and Malawi was invaluable. It makes you a lot more appreciative, resilient and determined as an individual.’