Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex praises our sight-saving work during the pandemic

The Countess, as Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, listened as Orbis representatives outlined how we adapted at the start of the pandemic to ensure we could effectively support our partners across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where the majority of those with vision loss in the world live.

The panel of Orbis experts included:

• Derek Hodkey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbis International
• Dr. Rob Walters, Trustee of Orbis UK
• Lucia Nadaf, Country Director of Orbis Zambia

Bottom left - Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex. Bottom right – Dr Rob Walters, Trustee of Orbis UK. Top left - Derek Hodkey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbis International. Top right – Lucia Nadaf, Country Director of Orbis Zambia.

Globally, 1.1 billion people live with vision loss, and 90% is avoidable. Supporters were told how, due to the pandemic, Orbis made the difficult decision to postpone in-person Flying Eye Hospital projects. But, while the Flying Eye Hospital may not be travelling, Orbis’s mission is still in flight. We quickly adapted to provide virtual Flying Eye Hospital projects through Cybersight to ensure that eye care professionals could continue to grow their skills.

In 2020, Orbis trained 26,036 eye health professionals in 192 countries/regions through Cybersight – which is over three times more individuals and nine more countries than in 2019.

Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex spoke to the audience of her visits to Orbis projects in India and Bangladesh. There she saw first-hand the impact of training at local hospitals and on board the Flying Eye Hospital, as well as spoke to children who had received surgery and witnessed their reaction as their bandages were removed.

Her Royal Highness said: “The care given by the Orbis team is absolutely wonderful. The children, they’re going to have a procedure that is slightly uncomfortable, but actually at the end of the day, when they suddenly realise that they can see and the people around them are so friendly and are just there to help them, this is an experience that goes beyond the surgery.

“I love the way that Orbis always trained local doctors, for local needs and leaves a legacy behind wherever it goes. It’s a self-fulfilling legacy and that’s the beauty of Orbis. You don’t just bring new techniques and new technology into countries that need help, Orbis trains eye surgeons and ophthalmologists to actually do it for themselves, working with what they have.”

The panel of Orbis experts highlighted other areas of our work, including training teams in Zambia, delivering eye care to the refugee population in South East Bangladesh, and tackling trachoma in Ethiopia.

Trachoma, an infectious cause of blindness, can be prevented and treated with access to clean water, antibiotics, and surgery. In December last year, Orbis supported healthcare workers to deliver a staggering 7.5 million doses of antibiotics to 87 districts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region in Ethiopia.

The Countess acknowledged the challenges brought about by the pandemic and thanked Orbis donors for their ongoing support. She added: “We have a long way to go, and Covid has really not helped, we can’t forget that actually these eye health issues continue to happen.

“If you haven’t seen the restoration of sight being given to somebody, it’s truly one of the most incredible, beautiful and wonderful things that you will ever witness. And it can be done so easily and so simply. We just need the ability to do it and the opportunity, and that’s what many people at this event have allowed Orbis to do. Thank you on behalf of every individual whose sight has been restored by Orbis and the team.”

Rebecca Cronin, chief executive of Orbis UK, said: “We were delighted to host Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex at our virtual event. Her Royal Highness is an incredible advocate for sight worldwide, and we have been honoured to welcome her to our projects in India and Bangladesh.

“The world as we know it changed in 2020, as did Orbis programmes. We are proud of our partners, who have been delivering vital treatments in difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Our medical volunteers, who would normally deliver face-to-face training, have worked hard with our team to develop virtual programmes, supporting doctors and nurses across the world, in order to deliver more sight-saving surgeries.

“All of our work is only possible with the help of our hospital partners and donors. Their generosity and dedication over the years have brought vital services closer to home for those who need it most.”