When the 55-year-old Mount Dora woman baked, she depended on a friend to read her the recipe. Not even a magnifying glass helped. When she went for a walk, she avoided crossing the street, fearing her judgment wasn't keen enough to assure her safety.

Life for Ellison is different these days, though. We Care of Lake County, a nonprofit organization that provides the poor and uninsured with health care, recently gave her the surgery she needed for a more independent life. Doctors lifted the cloudy film that for nine years gradually took over her eyes.

"Everything is so bright," Ellison said recently, still recovering with a pair of oversized shades. Ellison is one of about 40 people We Care helped in 2004-05, executive director Mary Ann Lohman said. The nonprofit organization involves a network of doctors and dentists who donate their expertise to those who can't afford treatment. There are similar organizations elsewhere, including in Marion, Polk and Citrus counties.

"There was a huge number of people . . . who were under- or uninsured," said Dr. Tully Patrowicz, who helped form the organization. Patrowicz, an ophthalmologist from Eustis who served as medical director of We Care until 2001, said 25,000 people had no insurance or inadequate insurance at the time.

In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, doctors donated $140,000 worth of medical services. Of 205 applications received, one-fifth met the requirements for care.

We Care has about 40 providers, which include optometrists, orthopedic surgeons, gynecologists and other specialists. However, more volunteers are needed, particularly those who specialize in cardiology.

"There's such a demand for cardiologists because of Lake County's large elderly population," Lohman said. "That means paying customers, which makes it tough for us to find specialists who will volunteer their services."

Ellison's procedure, which lasted about 10 minutes for each eye, would have cost $5,000, Lohman said. A doctor with We Care performed the surgery at no cost.

Now that Ellison is less dependent on others, she is playing catch-up after years of living behind a foggy lens. A former restaurant server, she is ready to return to the job market.

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