Photo By Maj. Eric Verzola | Staff Sgt. Mark Maczuga, a Chicago, Ill. native and optometry non-commissioned officer...... read more read more
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Maj. Eric Verzola
4th BCT (A), 25th Infantry Division PAO
KALSU, IRAQ – The U.S. Army is the only service in Iraq that deploys medical eye specialists, and a team of 2 treated 105 coalition forces during a recent trip to Kalsu.
There are 10 optometrists and two eye surgeons in Iraq who travel from Camp Adder, Talil, Iraq, throughout theater to help Soldiers maintain or improve their sight.
The two-man team from the 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade visited Forward Operating Base Kalsu for three and a half days last week to provide services for coalitions forces from Baghdad to north of Kuwait.
Maj. James Truong, the chief optometrist, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Sustainment Brigade (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division, and Staff Sgt. Mark Maczuga examined patients who needed glasses or had problems with their eyes. Truong received his medical degree from the Southern California College of Optometry and his Bachelor of Science degree in neuro-psychology form University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
"We go out about every three weeks to surrounding camps and FOBs to help people see better, "said Truong, a Boston, Mass., native. "This (tour in Iraq) has been an excellent experience; we have been able to help not only American Soldiers, but many of the coalition troops from Poland, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Britain, and Australia."
Truong knows that examining the eyes is important because it can signal problems in other parts of the body.
"We have been able to catch tumors, multiple sclerosis, eye diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. You can literally "see" in a patient's eyes when he or she has had one too many cheeseburgers and fries," he said.
The examination was a first for many of the troops the team saw.
"For many of the coalition troops not from the United States, the eye examination we administer was the first time in their lives that their eyes had been looked at, and when they put on glasses for the first time it is almost a miraculous event. They can't believe they can see so much more clearly with the aid of glasses," said Truong.
Truong and Maczuga are both bi-lingual, which aided in their ability to help the Polish and El Salvadoran soldiers see more quickly. Truong speaks some Spanish, while Maczuga speaks Polish.
"I have really enjoyed helping soldiers to see better, "said Maczuga, originally from Chicago, Ill.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2007 11:23 |
| Story ID: | 10793 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 454 |
| Downloads: | 410 |
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