Qatar Creating Vision is an amazing initiative which is helping children across India and Bangladesh to see. Funded by the Qatar Fund for Development and implemented by international eye care charity Orbis, the project began in July 2016 and to date, over 5.5 million eye tests have been provided.
In India, the project focuses on refractive error. Through a school screening programme called REACH (Refractive Error Amongst Children), eye tests are being provided so that those struggling with their sight are identified and given the glasses they need. This way they can enjoy school without any visual issues blocking their progress. During these eye tests, additional eye problems / conditions such as cataract or strabismus can be identified too, meaning that children will then be referred for further treatment at the Orbis-supported local eye hospital.
In Bangladesh, Qatar Creating Vision has been focusing on expanding the medical and surgical eye care services for children across the country. Alongside this, Orbis has also developed the first Retinopathy of Prematurity Centre for premature babies outside of Dhaka. Retinopathy of Prematurity is an eye disease that can happen in babies born too soon before their due date. It causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina and can lead to blindness. This is why it’s important that they are monitored. The increase in services is helping parents outside of Bangladesh’s capital city to access these vital services.
In response to the influx of people entering the camps in South East Bangladesh, the initiative was expanded in 2018 to help children and adults struggling with vision loss within the Rohingya and local host community.
Orbis began work here in February 2018 and has been collaborating with local partners to screen over 70,000 people, carry out over 1,100 surgeries and prescribe almost 28,000 treatments and glasses within the area.