What we're doing to tackle Global Blindness | Orbis

With your help, we can ensure everyone has access to quality eye care, no matter where they live.

Passing on skills and knowledge

Training is at the very heart of everything we do. With your support and the help of our world-leading expert volunteers, we provide training to all types of healthcare workers – from doctors and nurses in regional hospitals to district leaders and teachers in remote areas.

Dr Daniel Neeley screening a young patient.

Volunteer Dr. Daniel Neely shows how to screen a young patient using a Winnie the Pooh toy (Photo credit: Geoff Oliver Bugbee/Orbis)

Our specialist training is delivered in partnership with local hospitals, public health agencies and governments. It takes place on board our incredible Flying Eye Hospital, through our online mentoring platform, Cybersight, and through our long-term country programmes. It is made possible thanks to the generosity of our remarkable volunteer ophthalmologists, anaesthetists, nurses and biomedical engineers who give up their free time every year to train eye teams in communities around the world.

Our comprehensive approach

We offer a comprehensive approach to eye care using the best tools and resources available

We bring people together in the fight against avoidable blindness. We know we can't do it all on our own so we work with partners to evaluate the specific needs of each region, develop a tailored plan to restore sight and put in place a long-term eye health strategy.

We educate communities about eye health. With the help of key partners, we distribute vital antibiotics to treat and prevent serious eye conditions. We provide crucial eye health information via radio broadcasts, film screenings and educational materials.

Young patient receives Zithromax antibiotics in Ethiopia

Providing Zithromax antibiotics to help eliminate trachoma in Ethiopia (Photo credit: Geoff Oliver Bugbee)

In Ethiopia, for example, we help implement the World Health Organisation's SAFE strategy alongside partners such as the UK Department for International Development, international eye care NGOs and the Ministry of Health to help eliminate trachoma, a painful, contagious and blinding disease.

We establish long-term country programmes and build the capacity of health systems to improve access to quality eye care. We train all types of workers across all levels of the health system – not just ophthalmologists and nurses, but primary health workers and community volunteers. We also work with hospitals to improve leadership and governance in order to help improve the long-term quality of patient care.

Our comprehensive approach in action.

In 2019, Orbis programs resulted in over 66,000 completed trainings for doctors, nurses and other health workers. However, the impact reaches far beyond these numbers.

The restoration of sight is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to reverse the cycle of poverty for individuals and their families, according to the World Bank and World Health Organisation. Orbis is doing this through ensuring the provision of quality eye care.

Find out more about how we work and some of the amazing things your support goes towards.

The highlights

Country Programmes

By working with partners across the health service to establish and strengthen existing services we help provide long-term, sustainable eye care to communities around the world. From rural areas to bustling cities, we provide the tools and knowledge to help restore vision for generations to come.
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An eye examination on a young patient in Peru

An eye examination on a young patient in Peru

Flying Eye Hospital

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is unlike any plane you’ve seen before. A state-of-the-art teaching facility complete with operating room, classroom and recovery room - this amazing aircraft has been a beacon of hope since 1982.
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Flying Eye Hospital plane taking off

Cybersight - Telemedicine

Cybersight is our award-winning telemedicine platform. Through Cybersight, our expert volunteers teach and support eye care teams around the world using the latest advancements in internet and mobile technologies.
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Expert Volunteers

Our world renowned expert volunteers are the heartbeat of our training programmes. For more than 30 years, our goal has been to share the skills and knowledge they have built to help prevent avoidable blindness around the world.
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Orbis volunteer doctor performing surgery in blue scrubs and a mask

Orbis volunteer doctor performing surgery

Partnerships and Collaboration

At Orbis we know the world needs to work together to create a better, more prosperous future for all. The power of one may be strong, but the power of many is far stronger.
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Smiling doctors and nurses in green scrubs at the Sajida Foundation in Bangladesh

Smiling doctors and nurses at the Sajida Foundation in Bangladesh

Community Outreach

We want to make sure everyone has access to quality eye care, no matter where they live. This is why, as well as strengthening and equipping local hospitals, we work at a community level, training and educating people about eye health to ensure even the most remote areas receive the best possible treatment.
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Ethiopian woman receives eye exam.

Advocacy

We advocate for eye health to become a priority with governments and policymakers around the world. By raising awareness of the importance of quality eye care and influencing implementation, we aim to build a world where no one loses their sight simply because of where they were born.
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People sitting around a table in Zambia, 2012

People at the opening ceremony in Zambia, 2012

Through the eyes of women and girls

Did you know there is a gender gap in blindness? 55% of people who are visually impaired are women. Below, we explore the reasons behind this injustice and profile some of the women who are doing something about it. After all, a brighter future for women is a brighter future for the planet.
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Flying Eye Hospital

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is unlike any plane you’ve seen before. A state-of-the-art teaching facility complete with operating room, classroom and recovery room - this amazing aircraft has been a beacon of hope since 1982.
Read more
Flying Eye Hospital plane taking off

Technology and Innovation in Eye Care

With avoidable blindness set to triple by 2050, we need to reverse the trend before it’s too late. The old way simply isn’t working. We need to push boundaries and lead from the front of eye health innovation now, if we’re going to help ensure a brighter tomorrow.

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Did you know there is a gender gap in blindness?

55% of people who are visually impaired are women. Two thirds of children who are blind are female. Below, we explore the reasons behind this injustice and meet some of the women who are doing something about it.
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