Vision Care & Restoration

When a person’s eyesight is cared for and restored, it can mean the difference for a family between starvation and survival.

Benefits of Healthy & Restored Sight

Increased earning capacity

Increased social integration and family involvement

Increased self-esteem, independence, and productivity

Greater safety and mobility

La Familia Eye Center (LFEC)

HdlF’s LFEC Mission Statement: We are committed to preventing and reversing vision loss in all people of western Guatemala and southern Chiapas, regardless of means. We provide high-quality, self-sustaining, and locally driven care in an environment of continuous learning and innovation.

01

International Ophthalmology
Fellowship Program

  • Competative Benefits

  • Two year full time fellowship program at a Familia Eye Center, Hospital de la Familia, Nuevo Progreso, S.M., Guatemala

  • Fellows will engage in high level collaborative and independent decision making and surgical performance. Due to the advanced nature of the regional pathology, Fellows will conclude their training with one of the highest case logs available in the region.

02

Education, Training,
& Support

  • Academic Programing, Grand Rounds, & Journal Club

  • Medical Eye Team Volunteers travel to LFEC with the intentions of training and supporting local ophthalmologists, strengthening skills and expanding access to sight-saving care.

  • Global specialists serve as mentors at the hospital and abroad, sharing advanced techniques and clinical wisdom with local medical professionals to foster lasting excellence and build local capacity.

03

Essential Clinical &
Surgical Services

  • Year-round, comprehensive ophthalmology care provided by LFEC’s full-time professional staff, ensuring continuous access to vision health.

  • Affordable consultations and advanced surgeries in Cataract, Glaucoma, Cornea, and Retina, delivered through collaboration between LFEC’s ophthalmologist and visiting eye teams.

04

Essential Optical
Care & Shop

  • HdlF’s Optica la Familia provides optometric screenings for elders, children, and families, enabling early diagnosis and timely treatment to prevent vision loss.

  • Affordable prescribed glasses are provided to ensure proper vision support, which is crucial for preventing vision decline, supporting health, and aiding surgical recovery.

LFEC Impact & Achievement Highlights

Empowering and Training Women in Ophthalmology

LFEC has quickly become the training center for phenomenal women surgeons in ophthalmology. While a typical surgeon fresh out of training might perform 50 surgeries in their first year of practice, the LFEC surgeons perform 1500 in two years!

LFEC fosters a supportive environment and culture. It’s a safe, embracing, nurturing and rigorous place for women to train in ophthalmology. Each of these surgeons returns to their communities with unparalleled skill and confidence, elevating eye care standards worldwide.

$150,000 in Donated Frames and Counting!

The new optical shop, Optica La Familia, opened in January 2025 under the guidance of LFEC Co-directors of Optometry and Pediatrics Rupert Chowins OD and Dave Robinson.

Thanks to nearly $150,000 in donated frames—including a generous contribution from SLO Eye Associates—as of March 2025, the shop can provide high-quality prescription eyewear at a life-changing discount. This ensures vision care is truly accessible to the patients who need it most, transforming clear sight from hope into a reality.

LFEC Partners

Make a Difference Today

Thanks to our supporters, like you, we are celebrating 50 years of service, 10 years of light. Together, we bring medical care, and peace of mind, to someone who has nowhere else to go.