One week may not sound like a long time, but it had a big impact on five local residents.Dr. Kim Tsang, Dr. Meagan Saccucci and training and special projects co-ordinator Lindsay Myrfield from Coastal Eyecare Centres' Courtenay office and Courtenay Rotary Club president Robert Buckley and his wife Maria recently travelled to Colima, Mexico.They volunteered with Project Amigo during Vision Work Week, an annual event during which volunteers provide eye care to more than 1,000 people.John Shelswell, Katrina Cote and Brenda Phye of Coastal Eyecare's Campbell River office were also part of the local Eyes Around the World team, which was much larger than the team that volunteered last year, thanks in part to a $5,000 donation from the Courtenay Rotary Club."This year was a little different from last year because we headed down the organization part of the work week," noted Tsang. "It was a learning experience for all of us. It was an interesting experience that way; we got to learn a lot of background things that went into making the work week possible."This year, the Project Amigo team saw 1,102 patients in five days in five different villages."Everyone was very welcoming and very grateful for us being there, from the patients to the people helping organize it," said Tsang. "The local Rotarians were always there helping translate, and they cooked meals. We made so many close friendships in such a short time with the other volunteers, Rotarians from across the country and Project Amigo workers."They (the Project Amigo workers) do such a fantastic job to make us feel safe. They made our whole experience fabulous."Including travel, the volunteers' days would be about 12 or 13 hours long, sometimes longer. Volunteers would spend the whole day at one particular station."It was pretty intense," said Saccucci. "But it wasn't without rewards. The sheer gratitude they would show for you being there well made up for the long days and hectic pace."During the week, the team saw patients from age seven to 104, screening them and providing glasses.Tsang, Myrfield and Saccucci have many great memories of Vision Week, and they can each think of a few moments that particularly stand out.Saccucci remembers one woman who came with her two grandchildren."I think she stopped at every station, expressing her gratitude," she said. "It probably took her five to 10 minutes to tell me we were addressing a need that wasn't even being recognized in her area ... I got a big hug right away. That was great, that she just didn't just say thank you. She appreciated we were there to help and that we wanted to be there. That stands out because she was so appreciative."Saccucci and Myrfield helped to ensure one man who had very high blood pressure made it to the hospital.Myrfield remembers many times when she was able to see people's reactions while she was dispensing glasses."There was a boy who was having difficulty reading; they gave him his reading glasses and gave him a card, and he read the whole card right there," she said. "His mom began to cry. If we weren't there, he might have given up on reading and not gone to school. You really can make a huge difference in their lives."As the lead doctor, Tsang spent most of her time floating among stations, and she didn't get to see as many patients as the others. But one young girl does stand out.She had a really bad lazy eye but didn't have any glasses."I found a pair of glasses she needed, and they were simple reading glasses," said Tsang. "I just saw how her eyes immediately realigned when she put the glasses on. That was a really memorable experience."Coastal Eyecare staff is already making plans participate in Vision Week again next year. Coastal Eyecare continues to collect glasses to take to Mexico and to fundraise."Without the support of the community for the last four years, these two trips wouldn't be possible," said Tsang. "We're really grateful to people in the community for helping not just us but also the people in Mexico."People can learn more about the Project Amigo trip at Coastal Eyecare Centre's Facebook page or watch a video by Tsang at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhAIM8jnFG8. writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com