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The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital landing in Chattogram (formerly Chittagong) Bangladesh in 2017

Flying Eye Hospital in Bangladesh

Can you imagine if 27 million people in the UK were living with vision loss? How do you think this would impact our schools, workplaces and social or family lives together?

Kunchao's Story Week 2 Week 1 Orbis Flying Eye Hospital Gets Ready

How Restoring Sight Gave Kunchao His Independence Back

Imagine losing your eyesight, and with it, losing your job and independence. This was Kunchao’s reality for two long years.

His cataracts made both his eyes so cloudy that he couldn’t even cross the street without help. His life was on hold, due to a condition that many of us take for granted the ability to treat. But then, thanks to Dr. Roberto Pineda’s skill and care, Kunchao had a life-changing surgery onboard the Flying Eye Hospital that restored vision in one of his eyes.

Amazingly, Kunchao can see clearly again. And the joy he feels is overwhelming. “I’m so happy. The tears of joy are coming from within me. I feel so blessed. Now, I can be self-sufficient again.”

A simple surgery completely altered Kunchao’s life. What might seem like a small procedure is everything for someone who’s lost their independence.

A man in a post-surgical eye patch smiles for the camera.

By supporting Orbis you can give independence back to more people around the world just like Kunchao.

The Power of Sight

This mission has proven that with the right support, training, and dedication, we can transform lives together. From restoring vision to teaching life-saving skills, our work in Bangladesh will continue to impact the community for years to come.

Because of your support, we’ve not only saved sight – we’ve inspired hope, built confidence, and empowered local teams to provide world-class eye care long after we’ve left.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, partners, and volunteers who made this mission possible. Together, we are creating a brighter future for all.

Thank You

We would like to give an enormous thank you to Title Sponsors FedEx and the Alcon Foundation for making this project possible. The benefits of their support will continue to be felt for generations.

We also want to thank our collaborators and local partners, Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh, Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons, National Eye Care, and Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex, for their dedication to improving eye care in Bangladesh.

Lastly, none of this would be possible without Orbis supporters. Thank you for your continued generosity as the Flying Eye Hospital staff get ready for Ghana and Rwanda in 2025.

Week 2: Transforming Lives Through Hands-on Training

What if one life-changing surgery could open-up a child's future or help a parent support their family again?

In the second week of our mission, we turned that possibility into reality. We performed live surgeries on the Flying Eye Hospital, giving local eye doctors real-world experience and hands-on training. We treated children with glaucoma, teaching local doctors how to help the most vulnerable patients who might otherwise lose their sight forever. Nurses and anaesthesiologists also received specialised training, making sure each patient received excellent care.

By the end of the week, 44 patients, including 18 children, had their lives transformed. The children can now go back to school, without the barrier of preventable blindness. And the adults can regain their independence and ability to support their families. Thanks to the amazing local teams, expert volunteers, and your support, these patients are excited about a future full of opportunity. This isn’t just about surgery – it’s about giving people the gift of sight and a fresh start at life.

An Orbis Volunteer Faculty guides training participants through simulated CPR.

Dr Ghalib Mukadam, a UK Orbis expert Volunteer held basic life support training at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex.

Training the Next Generation

Over the course of this mission:

  • 113 eye doctors and junior doctors took part in lectures and surgeries, getting expert guidance from our expert volunteers.
  • Session were live streamed to 136 eye care professionals across 47 countries.
  • A boy with cataracts in one eye has his eyes screened.
  • A child held by their mother looks up at the camera.
  • A doctor guides a participating eye care professional through simulation training.
  • A girl with one eye closed sits on her mother's lap and looks at the camera.
  • A training participant performs simulated eye surgery on an artificial eye.
  • Training participants practice emergency care on lifelike manikins.
  • Eye health professionals in Orbis scrub caps group up for a photo.
  • An Orbis Volunteer Faculty lectures on board the Flying Eye Hospital.
  • Eye care professionals perform surgery on a patient.
  • Two doctors practice intubation on a lifelike manikin.
  • Dr. Harsha Reddy performs an eye screening on a patient.
  • Dr. Mannish Raval gives a lecture to training participants.
  • An Orbis Volunteer Faculty screens a toddler's eyes.

Have a look through photos of week 2 onboard the Flying Eye Hospital. We need your support to keep making projects like this possible and to carry on supporting communities around the world, like in Bangladesh.

  • A boy with cataracts in one eye has his eyes screened.
  • A child held by their mother looks up at the camera.
  • A doctor guides a participating eye care professional through simulation training.
  • A girl with one eye closed sits on her mother's lap and looks at the camera.
  • A training participant performs simulated eye surgery on an artificial eye.
  • Training participants practice emergency care on lifelike manikins.
  • Eye health professionals in Orbis scrub caps group up for a photo.
  • An Orbis Volunteer Faculty lectures on board the Flying Eye Hospital.
  • Eye care professionals perform surgery on a patient.
  • Two doctors practice intubation on a lifelike manikin.
  • Dr. Harsha Reddy performs an eye screening on a patient.
  • Dr. Mannish Raval gives a lecture to training participants.
  • An Orbis Volunteer Faculty screens a toddler's eyes.

Week 1: Simulation Training

Why Bangladesh Needs Specialised Eye Care

Bangladesh with a population nearly 100 million larger than the UK’s, has fewer than half the number of eye doctors, highlighting the urgent need for specialised eye care across the country. The Flying Eye Hospital touched down in Chattogram, launching a two-week mission to save sight, one life changing operation at a time.

Once the Flying Eye Hospital transformed into a fully functional eye care hospital, the team quickly got to work. Our volunteer eye care experts and local eye care professionals came together to assess patients by selecting those who need sight saving surgery and evaluate the local training needs. Thanks to Cybersight, our telemedicine platform – this technology provides remote medical care – allowed local teams to share case details well ahead of time, ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

  • A young boy wearing an orange T-shirt has his eyes screened by an Orbis Volunteer Faculty member at a partner hospital in Bangladesh
  • A young boy has his eyes examined at an Orbis partner hospital in Bangladesh
  • A woman from Bangladesh is screened during a Flying Eye Hospital training project at our partner Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex
  • Orbis Volunteer Faculty member Dr. Roberto Pineda with eye teams during a screening day at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex , Bangladesh
  • Screening day at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex, Bangladesh, during an Orbis Flying Eye Hospital project

Orbis Volunteer's Dr. Roberto Pineda and Xiao Ying, an ophthalmic nurse, screening patients to evaluate best cases for training onboard the Flying Eye Hospital. Take a look through the photos.

  • A young boy wearing an orange T-shirt has his eyes screened by an Orbis Volunteer Faculty member at a partner hospital in Bangladesh
  • A young boy has his eyes examined at an Orbis partner hospital in Bangladesh
  • A woman from Bangladesh is screened during a Flying Eye Hospital training project at our partner Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex
  • Orbis Volunteer Faculty member Dr. Roberto Pineda with eye teams during a screening day at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex , Bangladesh
  • Screening day at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex, Bangladesh, during an Orbis Flying Eye Hospital project

TheCutting-Edge Technology Behind the Mission

Just like how pilots use flight simulators, trainees use cutting-edge virtual reality, along with prosthetics and lifelike mannequins, to perfect their surgical skills. This method reduces complications, shortens surgical times, and ensures better patient outcomes. The results are clear: by practicing on realistic models, these surgeons will gain the skills and confidence needed to perform life-changing surgeries with precision. The impact of this training will extend long after the Flying Eye Hospital leaves Bangladesh, where we are building a more sustainable future for eye care.

By training local eye care professionals, we ensure that every patient - today and in the future - receives the best care possible. The goal is clear: better-trained teams equals better care for millions of people. Through projects like these, your donation to eye charities like Orbis makes an immediate impact - empowering professionals to treat thousands of patients, far beyond the reach of our Flying Eye Hospital.

With your support, we can continue to transform lives in Bangladesh and beyond. Every donation empowers local professionals to deliver sight-restoring surgeries and lasting care. Join us today in making an immediate impact.

  • A female Orbis Volunteer Faculty member guides a female ophthalmologist from Bangladesh through simulation training

Have a look through the photos to see Week 1 of simulation training. By supporting Orbis, you have made a difference to local communities in Bangladesh who are now have local eye care professionals with advanced skills to help better their eye care access.

  • A female Orbis Volunteer Faculty member guides a female ophthalmologist from Bangladesh through simulation training

How You Can Help

This is just the beginning. In the coming days, the Flying Eye Hospital will perform critical sight-saving surgery, giving people a chance to live with health vision.

But we can’t do it without you. Your donation today to an eye charity like ours will help us continue this vital work, transforming the lives through the power of sight. Act now – every gift makes an immediate impact.

Keep an eye on this page for more updates to come on the Flying Eye Hospital in Bangladesh.

Help us train teams in Bangladesh to save sight

Sponsors and Local Collaborators

This project would not have been possible without the incredible support of Title Sponsors FedEx and the Alcon Foundation. Their support ensures that we can improve access to eye care in Bangladesh for generations to come.

We also want to thank our collaborators and local partners, Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh, Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons, National Eye Care, and Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex, for their dedication and tireless work improving access to eye care in Bangladesh.

Hear From Orbis Volunteers

Dr Azavedo is joining the Flying Eye Hospital in Bangladesh as an Orbis Volunteer. Here he shares what he is most looking forward onboard his time the Flying Eye Hospital.

Dr Raval shares his experience and excitement for his time onboard the Flying Eye Hospital which he is joining at an Orbis Volunteer.

Orbis Flying Eye Hospital Gets Ready

In Bangladesh, nearly 27 million people face a daily struggle with untreated vision loss. 90% of vision loss around the world can be prevented – yet the challenge people in countries like Bangladesh so often face is a lack of access to quality eye care.

That’s why the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is heading to Bangladesh. This mission will bring life-changing eye care to those in urgent need of treatment and share these skills with Bangladeshi eye care nurses and doctors to treat their communities for years to come.

The Flying Eye Hospital is truly unique. This specially designed aircraft brings state-of-the-art medical facilities directly to communities in need. Inside, you’ll find:

- An operating room where complex eye surgeries are performed.
- A classroom for training the next generation of eye care professionals.
- A recovery room where patients begin their healing journey.

Young patient sitting before her surgery smiling holding Seymour (Orbis Bear) with Orbis Volunteer staff

Buyandeleger smiling before her surgery for cataracts onboard the Flying Eye Hospital during its visit to Mongolia earlier this year. Thanks to your support, we are able to continue giving children like Buyandeleger a brighter life.

For two weeks, the Flying Eye Hospital will be stationed in Chattogram (formerly Chittagong), Bangladesh, creating an incredible opportunity for local eye health doctors to train alongside Orbis’s world-class medical volunteers. Among these experts are three exceptional volunteers from the UK, who are dedicating their free time and expertise to mentor eye care workers in Bangladesh. Together, they’re helping boost skills and transform eye care for communities across the country.

This isn’t just about what’s happening on the Flying Eye Hospital, it’s about the real impact on people’s lives, and you are helping make it happen. Local doctors will receive hands-on training, surgical simulation, and take part in workshops that will enable them to perform eye-saving surgeries to the highest standard. And it’s not just about today - this training will empower doctors for years, ensuring that people across Bangladesh have access to the quality eye care they deserve.

Thanks to your continued support, we’re able to bring the Flying Eye Hospital to places like Bangladesh. Your generosity makes it possible for doctors to train, for patients to receive life-changing care, and for communities to thrive with restored sight.

Orbis volunteer experts training local eye care professionals during the Flying Eye Hospital trip to Mongolia earlier this year. They were training for 3 weeks with patient and simulation training focusing eye conditions such as paediatric cataracts and adult glaucoma.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Generously backed by Title Sponsors FedEx and the Alcon Foundation, together with our amazing supporters, this project aims to strengthen crucial skills and knowledge in cataracts, oculoplastics, surgical retina, paediatric glaucoma, and cornea.

Throughout the project, we’ll be collaborating with Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh, Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons, National Eye Care, and Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex. We’d like to extend a big thank you to all our dedicated partners for their tireless work improving access to eye care in Bangladesh.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is getting ready to head to Bangladesh for its next sight-saving trip

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Help us train teams in Bangladesh to save sight

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Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in Mongolia!

July 10, 2024

The Flying Eye Hospital is in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. For three weeks there, our expert volunteers and clinical staff will train local eye care teams to restore the sight of children and adults living with vision loss.

Read more...

A Journey to Hope: Restoring Vision for Hasan and Hossain

October 04, 2024

In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Kholil faced a heart-wrenching reality. His twin boys, Hasan and Hossain, were struggling with their sight. What began with squinting, soon turned into more serious stumbles as they struggled to learn to walk without clear vision. As any parent would, Kholil felt a deep sense of worry about the health of his children.

Read more...
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