L.I. ophthalmologist to treat patients in Ghana

When Dr. Gerard D'Aversa's daughter, Jaclyn, approached him about taking a humanitarian trip to Ghana, it was an offer he could not refuse.

D'Aversa, an ophthalmologist with offices in East Meadow and Valley Stream, is headed to the African nation in January as part of the Unite for Sight program. Unite for Sight is an organization that promotes eye health and provides sight restoring care to people in impoverished nations.
   
"My daughter has wanted to do something extraordinary as far as going out there and taking a mission trip," said D'Aversa, a partner of the Westbury-based  Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI). "Growing up, she always envisioned maybe doing something with me. She tracked down Unite for Sight, and everything sort of clicked."
   
The ophthalmologist's daughter, Jaclyn D'Aversa, a student at Columbia University, will assist her dad in Ghana by conducting eye health screenings. As for Dr. D'Aversa, his job will focus on performing surgeries that are otherwise unavailable to people in under-served parts of the world.
  
For example, a physician in Ghana is anxiously awaiting the doctor's arrival because it will be the first visit from a corneal specialist like D'Aversa. D’Aversa also plans on performing several surgeries to correct cataracts, a disease that is commonly treated in the United States, but not to those without access to quality eye care.
   
"There's no greater satisfaction than when I know a patient that wasn't able to see is able to see again," said D'Aversa, who lives in Garden City.
   
In addition to treating serious eye conditions, D'Aversa also aims to deliver hundreds of glasses to adults and children with poor vision. While D'Aversa has kept donation boxes in his offices for people to drop off unneeded eye glasses, the ophthalmologist has received a large amount of support from a young Hewlett boy.