The DOT delivers this concept rapidly and cost-effectively. Comprehensive primary eye care provided by optometrists that are remotely deployable, is the most appropriate utilization of resources. Tertiary specialty care, such as eye surgery, is most appropriately staged out of theater since patients needing this degree of care are not readily returnable to duty within 24-48 hours. Just as wartime eye care is clearly an optometric managed concept of operations, humanitarian eye care starts also with optometry. During humanitarian mission, primary eye care provided by optometry is the starting block of a team approach to eye care in a third world setting.
Refractive error is clearly the largest cause of decreased vision in third world countries.
Concept of Operations for humanitarian mission consists of optometry providing primary eye care, identifying, as the operation continues, the need for tertiary, specialty, or surgical care to be provided by ophthalmology. A team approach would allow the optometrist to appropriately manage the primary eye care component of the mission, while ophthalmology can appropriately provide the much needed surgical care. Together, as a team, each practicing to their own nationally recognized scope of practice, all mankind will benefit.