Rotary Club Donates Free Eye Prostheses to 35 People in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A Rotary Club initiative is providing free custom eye prostheses to 35 people, including seven children under 11, during a three-day medical outreach event in this coastal city.

Club president Brenda Santiago Vargas said the program aims to improve recipients’ self-esteem and help them navigate society more safely without fear of discrimination. The medical sessions, running from February 18 to 20, involve 10 doctors from across Mexico who traveled to Playa del Carmen to fit the prostheses.

Beneficiaries include elderly residents, teenagers, and adults from various municipalities in Quintana Roo, along with the seven young children.

Undetected Birth Conditions Lead to Eye Loss in Children

Santiago Vargas explained that most children who lost an eye did so due to undetected birth conditions that developed into disease and eventual organ loss. This marks the second such campaign in Playa del Carmen, with 11 people returning for maintenance or replacement of prostheses received two years ago.

“The Sponsored Eye Prostheses campaign means no beneficiary pays a single peso,” Santiago Vargas said. “The Rotary Club raised funds through collaboration with Boston’s previously, and this year with the Lions Club for financial support. Activities like a January raffle and corporate sponsorships from various sectors—business, academic—all contribute.”

Lions Club Aims to Reintegrate Recipients into Society

Carlos Bonilla, president of the “Golondrinas Quintana Roo” Lions Club, said their goal is to reintegrate children, adults, and seniors who have lost an eye back into society.

“We know society can sometimes be cruel to people who have lost an eye,” Bonilla said. “We want to give them confidence when they look in the mirror, to see themselves looking good and complete. To feel like a totally normal person, because the prosthesis looks like a real eye.”

Privately, an eye prosthesis costs between 20,000 and 40,000 pesos including medical consultations. The devices have a five-year lifespan, after which recipients must return for evaluation or replacement.

Bonilla noted patients lose eyes to various causes including cancer, accidents, and even gunshot wounds.