News and stories

Meet the man behind the Flying Eye Hospital

See how Bruce Johnson, a retired Air Force flight engineer turned FedEx flight instructor, oversees an ‘engineering masterpiece’ in the fight against preventable blindness — even during COVID-19.
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The Eye Health Field Assistants Taking on Coronavirus in Ethiopia

June 04, 2020

As many of the routine eye health services in Ethiopia have been temporarily suspended, a group of local eye health Field Assistant and Drivers are now working to keep their communities safe from coronavirus.

Volunteers' Week: Volunteering in Vietnam

June 04, 2020

To further celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we had a chat with Gill Adams. She specialises in paediatric ophthalmology. Gill spoke to us about why she volunteers with Orbis and her visits to Vietnam, most recently in 2018.

Volunteers’ Week: UK anaesthetist on sharing skills around the world

June 03, 2020

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re highlighting volunteers from across the eye health spectrum. Today we meet Ian Fleming, a consultant anaesthetist from King’s College Hospital.

Telemedicine is "the future" says Orbis Cybersight founder Dr. Gene Helveston

June 02, 2020

Millions of people around the world have found themselves relying on telecommunication tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams due to the global lockdown. Here at Orbis, we’ve been pioneering these very practices for 20 years thanks largely to one man.

Volunteers’ Week: Thoughts on 16 years as an Orbis volunteer

June 01, 2020

Larry Benjamin has been an Orbis medical volunteer for 16 years, and a trustee on our board for 12 years. To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we caught up with Larry to find out what originally attracted him to Orbis, and why after all these years, the work he does still makes him tick.

From saving sight to helping to save lives in Zambia

May 19, 2020

Bwalya Mwenya, pictured during her training above, qualified as an ophthalmic clinical officer two years ago, in 2018. Since then, she has established the first specialised eye clinic in her district in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia.

Dr. Gordillo's urgent work saving the sight of premature babies continues

May 14, 2020

We have a wonderful story about an Orbis partner who is committed to helping premature babies avoid living a life of unnecessary blindness, even in the middle of a pandemic.

Using Cybersight to help diagnose and treat urgent cases during lockdown

May 12, 2020

Orbis partner Dr. Khauv is a Cambodian ophthalmologist who has been using Cybersight for more than a decade, seeking consultations on nearly 200 patients. Thanks to the support of Orbis Volunteer Dr. Shaikh, he was able to diagnose and treat an urgent case, even in the midst of a pandemic.