Building Skills, Changing Lives: Strengthening Eye Care in Vietnam

That’s exactly what our recent training programme at the National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam set out to achieve, aimed at strengthening pediatric eye care services for children nationwide.

Last September 2025, Orbis expert medical volunteers travelled to the National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi for an intensive week of hands-on training in paediatric oculoplastic – a specialised area of eye surgery that helps restore eyelid and eye socket function for children born with conditions or recovering from injuries.

The week-long project brought together a global team of specialists. They included surgeon Dr Joon Kim (Salt Lake City, USA), anaesthesiologist Dr Andrew Choyce (London UK), and scrub nurse Mr Gregg Tew (Salt Lake City, USA). They provided comprehensive training to 11 Vietnamese eye care professionals: four hands-on trainees (two ophthalmologists, one anaesthesiologist, and one scrub nurse) and seven observing physicians from leading institutions.

During the programme, 41 children were pre-screened through Cybersight, Orbis’s telemedicine and mentorship platform. Of these 21 were examined on-site and 16 young patients received sight-saving surgery, giving children the chance to see and thrive.

Under expert supervision, trainees performed procedures such correction of congenital ptosis, removal of tumours and cysts, and orbital reconstruction. By guiding participants through diagnosis, planning, surgery, and post-operative care, the training built clinical confidence and consistency across the entire care pathway.

At Orbis, we tackle this challenge by training teams in their own hospitals, using familiar tools and environments to ensure improvements are practical and sustainable. There aren’t enough eye care professionals to meet global demand – over 1 billion people live with preventable vision loss and blindness.

By building skills that last, this approach enables local teams to provide exceptional care long after the volunteers leave, such as enhancing surgical precision, diagnostic confidence, and patient education for generations to come.

Training in Hanoi wasn’t just about individual skills – it strengthened Vietnam’s entire eye care system. Local professionals now serve as mentors and leaders, creating a ripple effect that improves access, especially for children in underserved areas.

By partnering with community-rooted hospitals committed to improvement, Orbis builds centres that provide quality eye care and influence care across regions. Together, we’re creating a future where every child can see clearly, learn confidently, and thrive.