Paul C. Kang, MD, is an ophthalmologist with a passion for medical missionary work. Dr. Kang was motivated to specialize in eye health because his father was blinded by a soccer accident as a teenager.
“If this were to have happened now or in a place where there was appropriate care available, that wouldn’t have been the case,” Dr. Kang says. “But my father went on to do many amazing things with his life and was an inspiration to me. When I went to medical school, I found ophthalmology was a good match for me, and the ability to help people see is remarkable.”
Dr. Kang spent 17 years running his own private practice, performing cataract and refractive surgery, and is now focused on general eye care and international medicine. He is vice president of Health In Sight Mission, a nonprofit that provides eye care to impoverished residents of Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras.
“We are trying to build an eye clinic for the island that is run by Honduran doctors. Right now, there just isn’t ophthalmologic care, and it’s very expensive for people to go to the mainland,” Dr. Kang explains. “In the U.S., cataract surgery is very common. For the most part, no one goes blind from lack of access to it. But cataracts are the number one cause of curable blindness in the world, and impoverished people with cataracts face extreme difficulty. So it’s incredibly rewarding to do this medical mission work.”
When it comes to building rapport with patients, Dr. Kang says he focuses on fully explaining their diagnosis and giving them treatment options, including the pros and cons of each. “I want them to truly understand what is going on and help them make the best decisions,” he says.
