Eye Charity in Ethiopia: Eyecare Programme to Tackle Avoidable Blindness

Eye care in Ethiopia faces major challenges.

The primary challenge in Ethiopia is the lack of professional eye health workers. Back in 1998, there were only 54 ophthalmologists, which was not enough to support the increasing number of patients. 

Another major issue was the high prevalence of trachoma. According to a study by National Institute of Health (NIH) from 2021, trachoma is the second-leading cause of blindness. The other causes of vision loss in Ethiopia include cataracts, glaucoma, refractive error and trachoma. 

Another fact is that more than 76 million people are living with trachoma in widespread parts of the country, and over 9 million children aged 1–9 years suffer from active trachoma. Recent years have seen the elimination of trachoma from a number of other countries, such as Senegal, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea. Now, 52% of the global population at risk from this blinding eye disease live in Ethiopia.

In the past 25 years Orbis has been a beacon of hope for countless people across Ethiopia, leading the fight against preventable blindness and transforming their lives every single day.

• Delivering over 100 million doses of the trachoma-fighting-antibiotic, azithromycin, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR)
• Delivering more than 217,000 sight-saving surgeries
• Achieving the elimination threshold for trachoma in 48 districts
• Helping to train hundreds of optometrists and ophthalmologists

Thanks to our supporters, and the hard work and dedication of our local staff and program partners in Ethiopia.

None of these achievements would be possible without the support from our global community, and the relentless passion of our staff and partners in Ethiopia.

There is still much to do, and the future shines brightest when we stand together.

Donate now to save more people from eye disease.

In 2023, we marked the milestone of our 100 millionth dose of the trachoma-fighting antibiotic, azithromycin.

With our partners in Ethiopia and a global coalition, we are working towards the Word Health Organisation (WHO) target of global trachoma elimination by 2030.

Orbis is also working to make sure that sustainable eye care programme is accessible to everyone.

That means providing access to treatments for cataract, refractive error and glaucoma and for treatment that requires more specialised eye care.