Name: Itay Ben-ZionAge: 46Profession: Pediatric ophthalmologistPlace of birth: IsraelCurrent residence: Bat Shlomo, IsraelWhat gets you out of bed in the morning? I had a vision of establishing an independent eye service in one of the remotest places on the planet: the South Omo Valley, which borders Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. The area is home to the most isolated nomadic tribes in the world, most of whom have never been exposed to modern civilization, let alone modern medical care. The idea is to teach and train (since 2007) local doctors and eye care professionals to create local, sustainable, high-quality, comprehensive eye care at “the edge of the world,” and as the saying goes, instead of offering them fish, we try to teach them how to fish, to be independent. With the generosity of a private foundation, we try to maximize the positive effect.What keeps you up at night? Knowing that there is so much work still to be done.The idea started while we were visiting the Hammer tribe in Turmi (During 2006-2007, we lived in southern Ethiopia as part of the Orbis International program).One of my kids played with the local Hammer boys and noticed that one of them, named Mojo, was missing an eye. It turned out that a Cobra snake had bitten him, resulting in his injury. I was surprised to hear that there was no eye care service was available within a 400-km. radius. Mojo is 17 years old now and helps us with public awareness. Last year, we fitted him with an ocular prosthesis.What’s the most difficult professional moment you’ve faced so far? Since we work in a very remote area with few resources, we encounter, all-too -frequently, kids with conditions that lead to blindness, conditions that cannot be cured due to trivial reasons like a lack of an anesthetic technician or a lack of simple yet crucial equipment. The situation is even more complex: A blind child in sub-Saharan Africa has a 50 percent mortality rate. These things tear your heart out, but also demonstrate the importance of the process we are involved with.How do you celebrate your achievements? In my area of expertise, achievements are in the form of a seeing person. I doubt there is greater satisfaction than watching a blind man gain his sight and his independence the day after successful surgery. Recently, two of our Ethiopian colleagues who have spent the past three years training to perform cataract surgery inaugurated an independent local eye camp. They managed to restore, many people's sight gratis, without the direct involvement of any faranji [“foreigners”]. They now offer a weekly service.If you were prime minister, what’s the first thing you would do? Probably resign. I think there is a place for everyone; mine is definitely far away from politics.Which Israeli should have a movie made about him/her? [Thinker] Yeshayahu Leibowitz. He was a prophet ahead of his time.What would you change about Israelis if you could? As I drive a motorcycle to work at Sheba Medical Center, I would have to start with our driving culture.iPad, BlackBerry or pen and paper? I read books in hard copy whenever I get the chance.[But] for long journeys in Africa, the iPad beats them all.If you had to write an advertisement to entice tourists to come to Israel, what would it say? Wake up and smell the humous.What is the most serious problem facing the country? Internal conflicts. Too many minority parties minorities looking out for their personal interests [and] overlooking the greater national and community interests.How can it be solved?I am not sure, as a physician, I accept the fact that not everything can be solved. Some problems predate us and will outlive our short life span.In 20 years, the country will be: Somewhere between Africa and Europe.
