Two PH physicians flew to the far-off nation of the Philippines earlier this year to perform eye surgery in rural areas that lack ophthalmologists. During a two week period, period Associate Ophthalmologist Antonio M. Gonzales. MD, and Atul Agarwala. MD, a resident. screened 100 candidates for surgery and then performed 31 procedures working 15 hour days in two provincial teaching hospitals on the islands of Iloilo and Aklan. They also trained local physicians. The few ophthalmologists in the Philippines which has 55 million people dispersed among 7,000 islands, are concentrated in the metropolitan areas.
