Humanitarian

New Flying Eye Hospital takes to the skies for its first programme

1 December 2016 | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

In June of this year, international eye care charity Orbis launched their new Flying Eye Hospital, a powerful tool helping the medical community combat preventable blindness through sustainable methods. On board an MD-10 aircraft, a fully accredited ophthalmic facility can...

Paediatric ophthalmology training in Malawi through the Vision 2020 LINKS Programme: a decade of partnership

1 December 2016 | | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

Blinding eye disease in children can lead to a lifetime of dependence and non-productivity for the person afflicted. Sometimes a relatively simple condition such as a refractive error can lead to irreversible disability that could, if caught in time, have...

Making a life-changing difference in Bangladesh

1 October 2016 | | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

It has always been a desire of mine to volunteer in a ‘vision aid’ type project abroad, but due to various factors I had not been able to fulfil this desire until very recently. A gentleman called Mizanur Rahman (founder...

The VISION 2020 LINKS Programme: Cascading leadership training in Calabar, Nigeria

1 October 2016 | | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

The VISION 2020 LINKS Programme has initiated ‘LEAD FORWARD’, an innovative leadership development project incorporating a commitment to cascade training and participate in achievable quality or service improvement projects. The project provides opportunities to apply leadership skills in practice as...

Cementing a VISION 2020 LINK partnership between Blantyre and Liverpool – building capacity for DR services alongside research

1 August 2016 | | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

Malawi is a small land-locked country in eastern Africa with a growing population of over 17 million people. About 45% of the population is aged 14 or under; only 5% are aged 60 or over. The gross national income per...

Strengthening eye care services in Botswana through the Botswana-Addenbrooke’s Abroad VISION 2020 LINK

1 April 2016 | | Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

The VISION 2020 LINK between Botswana and Addenbrooke’s Abroad has been running for 10 years. With support from the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme two-way exchange visits were undertaken leading to the formation of the first formal international partnership under Addenbrooke’s...

VISION 2020 LINKS Programme: building capacity for eye care services in Nigeria through leadership and skills development

1 February 2016 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

The Lagos-Bolton VISION 2020 LINK started in December 2011. It is one of 29 LINKS now running in the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme [1]. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with a current population of 178 million, projected...

Situation analysis of diabetic retinopathy services in eleven countries

1 December 2015 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

A five-year project funded by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust is facilitating development of diabetic retinopathy services (DRS) to reduce unnecessary blindness in 10 Commonwealth countries through the establishment of a capacity-building network, the DR-NET part of the Commonwealth...

VISION 2020 LINKS: Retinoblastoma 
in Africa

1 October 2015 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

The VISION 2020 LINKS Programme is part of the ‘VISION 2020: The Right to Sight’ global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness [1]. The LINKS Programme works with overseas eye departments to help identify priorities and match their priority needs with...

A three-way partnership between Nigeria, Tanzania and Northern Ireland

1 June 2015 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Genetics, Ophthalmology, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

VISION 2020 LINKS between Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Northern Ireland with first ECWA Eye Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and now also with Mbeya Referral Hospital (MRH), Tanzania, have been beneficial to all three partners. From...

Building leaders for eye care in Africa: the COECSA-RCOphth VISION 2020 LINK

1 April 2015 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Genetics, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

The VISION 2020 LINK [1] between the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) has been building leaders of eye care in Africa since 2008, when a Memorandum of Understanding...

Commonwealth nations join forces to prevent blindness from diabetes

1 February 2015 | | AMD, Emergency Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, Optometry, EYE - Cataract, EYE - Cornea, EYE - Glaucoma, EYE - Imaging, EYE - Neuro-ophthalmology, EYE - Oculoplastic, EYE - Oncology, EYE - Orbit, EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Pathology, EYE - Refractive, EYE - Strabismus, EYE - Vitreo-Retinal

More than 70 representatives from 10 Commonwealth countries (in the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions) and Indonesia gathered at a five-day workshop in November 2014 to establish district or national plans to reduce blindness from diabetic retinopathy (DR). The event...