A new podcast and vodcast series exploring cutting edge tech to curb rise in preventable blindness has been launched by international eye health charity, Orbis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the work to end avoidable blindness harder—and more urgent. Even before the pandemic, experts have been warning us that, without action, global blindness will triple by the year 2050, and the number of people in need of eye care is outpacing the number of trained ophthalmologists. In low to middle income countries where visual impairment is four times higher than in high income regions, the need for training is more important than ever before.
In a new, nine-part podcast and vodcast series entitled Sightlines, Orbis - the international sight saving charity – explores how it’s adapted to the “new normal.” While traditional in-person ophthalmic training has been curtailed by the need for social distancing, it is critical that eye care professionals continue to have access to quality training if they are to meet the needs of their patients through leveraging telemedicine technology and remote learning.
Hosted by Dr Hunter Cherwek, Vice President of Clinical Services at Orbis, the Sightlines series discusses the fight against preventable blindness, how COVID-19 is impacting that fight and how Orbis aims to overcome these challenges through cutting edge technologies and innovation.
The Sightlines series features expert clinicians from around the world. The first three episodes are available to listen to now and include:
- Episode 1, Trachoma and COVID-19: Tackling Infectious Diseases. In this episode experts discuss techniques for treating infectious diseases like Trachoma during COVID-19 restrictions.
- Episode 2, The Orbis Spirit of Innovation. This episode explores the importance of technologies such as telemedicine for adapting to changes on the ground during the pandemic.
- Episode 3, A New Flight Plan. In this episode, Orbis explore the impact of COVID-19 on its famous Flying Eye Hospital, and the new learning model it’s developed to serve the countries where Flying Eye Hospital projects have been postponed.
Find out more about Sightlines here. The podcast series is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the vodcast series can be viewed on YouTube
The series includes a further seven, 40-minute episodes which run until the end of December 2020. Podcasts to follow include: AI and Simulation: A New Frontier; Women Changing the Way the World Sees; Unseen Challenges of COVID-19; The New Normal in Eye Care; Aviation for Good and more.
