This year, Jeffrey Levenson, MD, restored the eyesight of about 20 needy Jacksonville, Fla., residents free of charge. To the naked eye, that might seem like a lot of pro bono work, but it's just par for the course for Dr. Levenson — the philanthropist has restored the vision of hundreds of medically indigent patients.
Every year for the last 20 years, in fact, the ophthalmologist has offered free cataract surgery through a program known as The Gift of Sight with the nonprofit Vision is Priceless, which the eye surgeon became president of last year.
Along the way, Dr. Levenson says, he's had a great deal of support — from Baptist Medical Center, Riverside Park Surgery Center, Vision is Priceless, a handful of other ophthalmologists and a thoughtful and enthusiastic staff.
Last year, the eye surgeon was right on schedule, with another 20 patients who had their vision restored.
We spoke with Dr. Levenson on the experience, and what he feels like it's done for him both personally and professionally.
Q: So how did The Gift of Sight start, exactly?
JL: About 20 years ago, a group of ophthalmologists decided we wanted to be helpful to the community. We thought, "What a joy it would be for us to provide cataract surgery to needy, blind patients." Baptist Medical Center provided the venue and we did it. About 15 years ago, I assumed sole responsibility for the program. We're doing about 20 a year now. So probably around 400 people have gone through the program.
Q: How can
you perform so many free surgeries in a year? Doesn't it get pretty cost-prohibitive?
JL: It's not really the time that's the issue — a standard cataract surgery can take 15 minutes. It's the cost that has to be borne by the surgery center. Those are out-of-pocket costs. That's where we had Baptist Medical Center to thank, at first. For the last five years Riverside Park Surgery Center has overseen it. I'm part owner there. I went to the majority owner, Dr Robert Schnipper, and said, "I'd love to do this." And he said, "We love the idea."
It's a wonderful relationship. So is our relationship with Vision is Priceless, which we work with now.
Q: Why work with a nonprofit?
JL: The notion was to create a program that would last in perpetuity. To make something that will continue in this community even after I’m no longer able to do it. The nice thing about having Vision is Priceless is that they have a fund for the program now. So we have money for some of the costs — the cost incurred from anesthesia or if a patient needs a ride. Having a fund in Vision is Priceless gives us a little security for the program.
Q: Tell me about the experience itself.
JL: It's the highlight of my professional calendar. And for my staff, it helps to reinforce the culture we've established of primarily being providers of care and only secondarily being a business.
Q: But are there business-related benefits?
JL: You know, it's probably good for business to be philanthropic. I've had patients we've done one eye on for free and they've come back to me for their second eye when they could afford it and they paid. I've had family members and friends of people we've helped come in. But, even more so, I think that a lot of it comes from the fact that people like going to a healthcare provider they feel is caring. We care for the less fortunate as much as those who can afford our services. I've got a very busy and successful practice. I think part of that is that people see our heart is in the right place. We didn't do it as a business or marketing strategy but it has helped. Those who hear about it appreciate it.
It's also just a great pleasure and a joy to give people their eyesight back. Not to mention that five years ago I had to go through it myself.
Q: Yourself? Tell me more about that.
JL: Well, I developed cataracts, rather abruptly, at age 51. Slowly and surely I noticed that I was having more difficulty seeing. I had to have cataract surgery. After having performed perhaps 20,000 surgeries over a 25-year career, I went under the knife myself. It was a remarkable experience — I was thrilled and enthralled to experience the gift of sight myself. The brightness. The sharpness of colors. I hadn't realized how much I'd lost. It occurred to me we needed more outreach for this after that.
Q: More outreach? Like what?
JL: Yes, since my surgery my wife and I have started traveling several weeks each year to Central and South America to do surgery among the poor and blind, working with an organization called Surgical Eye Expeditions, International . My wife's an internal medicine doctor. She does a medical clinic while I performed cataract surgeries.
Q: Do your Jacksonville patients find you or do you find them?
JL: Gift of Sight patients show up in the ER or in other ophthalmologists or optometrists offices; most of them know they can call me to get their patients into the program.
Vision is Priceless also does screenings among the medically indigent, and they find prospective patients as well. We don't have to ever advertise for the program.
Q: Have you seen an uptick in requests?
JL: It's ironic. I had hoped we'd see a decrease with the Affordable Care Act, but we see about the same 20 people we've seen all along. There was a Medicaid expansion that was supposed to be part of Obamacare, but Florida opted out of the expansion. So no, our volume hasn’t changed much in recent years.
Q: Do you ever hear back from patients after they leave?
JL: We had a guy last year; he was completely blind in both eyes. A brick mason. Fifty years old. Comes in and says, "I haven't been able to work for six months." We did a surgery, and about six months later he came back in and paid for his second eye to be done.
The best charity isn't giving a person a fish, it's teaching a person to fish. Giving him eyesight back also gave him back his self-respect, and his independence. It's gratifying when you see they've learned to fish.
I also had a patient this past year who was homeless and lived in the woods behind the Wal-Mart. He had rapidly gone blind and he came in for surgery. The surgery center had agreed to get him a van to drive him to and from surgery. He had his surgery and I was moving onto the next patient when a nurse came in and said, "The patient wants us to drive him home, but home is the woods behind Walmart. I don't think we can send him back there."
"We're going to have to send him somewhere," I said, and returned to surgery.
The next day at about noon, this guy walks in, and he was virtually unrecognizable. The staff of the surgery center had chipped in to get him a hotel room. The van driver had taken him out to dinner at a huge buffet. He had shaved and cleaned up. Not only could he see again, but he was a new man. It was a stunning transformation. It was a really sweet indication of all the kindness around me here. People love to have an opportunity to express kindness.
Q: How do you think this bit of altruism has affected you personally?
JL: First of all, it's contagious. Altruism is rewarding. I get real pleasure from providing care to people who need it. It's generally true that acts of philanthropy make people feel good. It reminds you of what we're really all about.
Q: How about how has it affected you professionally?
JL: A couple of ways. I know a lot of doctors who are burned out. It can be easy to get run down by the bureaucracy of medical practice. I'm just thrilled to be a doctor and I love my work. Part of the reason is this program. It’s an expression of love that has immunized me from burnout.
It's one of the most gratifying things I've ever done and I'd highly recommend it. It reminds you of the purpose of the work you do. It makes you appreciate medicine. It makes you see what a privilege it is to be a doctor.