APRIL 24, 2022 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | 27
ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING
DAILY NEWS
been passionate, he's been persistent,
and he's been extremely efficient in
gathering resources and recruiting
like-minded volunteers through his
contagious enthusiasm. He has been
completely unselfish, seeking to rec-
ognize others for their contributions
rather than drawing attention to his
own. But make no mistake: He has
been remarkably effective, in the early
years at addressing existing disease and
more recently at supporting preventive
measures. In Armenia, his name is spo-
ken with the greatest reverence. Very
few of us will ever leave a mark on this
world as important as that of Roger
Ohanesian."
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more information.
from Armenia's Deputy Minister of
Health, requesting assistance from
practicing medical experts worldwide
to serve in the war-torn country. He
heeded the call and boarded a flight to
Armenia where he immediately began
to meet with patients at the Republican
Eye Hospital in Yerevan. Dr. Ohane-
sian worked tirelessly for the next 2
weeks, treating more than 300 patients
and performing almost 40 surgeries.
Nearly all of those were war casualties
and about half were children. This
life-changing experience in Armenia
became a focal point of his career.
After returning from his initial trip
to the country, Dr. Ohanesian founded
the Armenian EyeCare Project, which
is dedicated to eliminating prevent-
able blindness and expanding access
to eyecare in Armenia. Since then,
he has returned to the country more
than 50 times and brought doctors
who specialize in retina, glaucoma,
cornea, and reconstructive surgery, as
well as millions of dollars' worth of
medical equipment. The doctors have
performed countless surgeries, provid-
ed training to Armenian doctors, and
assisted in the creation of the country's
first corneal eye bank. Additionally,
they helped set up a medical center in
Nagorno-Karabakh and successfully
created an unprecedented ophthalmic
program in a country that desperately
needed assistance.
"For 30 years, Roger has dedi-
cated his life to helping people rise
above blindness half a world away,"
said John Hovanesian, MD. "He's
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E Y E S U R G E RY. S W I S S M A D E .
