Seeing Jamaica Through New Eyes: My Mission with Canadian Vision Care

The Caribbean breeze hit me as I walked out of the resort lobby. Across the street, Doctor’s Cave Beach was bright and calm under the Jamaican sun. I could smell jerk chicken in the air. It looked like the ideal place to vacation, but I was there to work.

For years, I’d wanted to join Canadian Vision Care (CVC), a charity organization committed to delivering thorough, comprehensive, and integrated care in the developing world, on one of its missions. My company has partnered with them for over a decade, and I’d heard so many stories about the difference they make. Finally, I had the chance to go.

Stepping Into the Unknown

I’ll admit it, I was nervous. At work, my sales role doesn’t often call on my optician skills. I thought I’d be there as a company representative, smiling and supporting from the sidelines. Instead, I learned I would be the sole optician on a team of three doctors.

That meant fitting glasses for hundreds of people each day. Two hundred faces. Two hundred pairs of eyes. Two hundred lives.

So, I dusted off my penlight, ruler, and black marking pen, the tools I had not used in years, and promised myself I’d be ready.

The Rhythm of the Mission

We stayed at a charming resort in Montego Bay, right across from Doctor’s Cave Beach and home to the best jerk chicken I’ve ever tasted. After a refreshing swim on the first afternoon, I met my team: Dr. Gerry Leinweber, Dr. Wayne Klette, Dr. John Wilson, and organizer Brian Snee. Together, we prepared for four days of mission work organized with the Lions Club.

Our agenda: two days in rural Montego Bay and two days in the city. Each morning began at the resort buffet, and the strong kick of Jamaican coffee. Then came the minivan ride, sometimes winding through lush hillsides, other times stuck in Montego Bay traffic. Still, the hours passed quickly as we talked about past trips, family, and life.

Our first stop was an elementary school where the air buzzed with laughter and chatter. The classrooms smelled faintly of chalk and radiated sunshine. We examined more than 200 children in a single day, fitting over 50 prescription glasses and handing out 100 readers.

My work was met with mixed emotions from both children and adults as they chose their first pair of glasses. You could feel the shift in the room, the quiet spark of self-confidence beginning to take hold. I recalled this moment months later, when one child would finally put on their glasses: eyes widening, mouth opening in surprise, and then, “I can see.” In that instant, I knew I had helped change a life, and it made every long, hot day worth it.

Long Days, Hot Sun, Full Heart

The days stretched into eight-hour marathons. My hands moved constantly, measuring pupillary distances, adjusting frames, and marking lenses. Sweat dripped down my back as the Jamaican sun pressed through open windows.

There were endless frame options, but only one lens option. Adults lined up for readers and sunglasses, children for their first eye exams and glasses. Some prescriptions were so high that it was heartbreaking to think they had gone years without a clear vision.

Dr. Wilson became my lifeline, stepping in when the crowd grew overwhelming. Together, we kept the flow moving, one patient at a time.

Honored and Inspired

On the final day, we gathered with other optometrists and opticians who had been serving in different parts of Jamaica. It was time to celebrate at the Albion Clinic.

My company, HOYA, was honored by Dr. Gerry Leinweber for more than a decade of donations to CVC. Standing there, representing my company, I felt proud to be a small part of something so much bigger, a mission that stretches worldwide.

By the end of the two weeks, over 1,000 pairs had been ordered. That number still amazes me, not just for its scale, but for the individual lives behind it.

What Jamaica Taught Me

This mission was more than a professional challenge for me. It was a lesson in:

• Opportunity: serving communities that needed vision care the most.

• Leadership: stepping into a role I hadn’t expected and owning it.

• Confidence: My optician skills sharpened under pressure, proving to myself that I could rise to the occasion.

But beyond all that, it was about connection: the smiles, the laughter, the gratitude in every hug and handshake. Jamaica gave me more than memories; it gave me perspective. Helping someone see clearly for the first time is a gift beyond words. And in those hot, crowded rooms, surrounded by children and families, I rediscovered why I became an optician in the first place: to change lives, one pair of glasses at a time.

Written by: Sherry Klassen