Orbis International

Happy 4th of July to the Orbis community! Here's a short clip of our Flying Eye Hospital taking off from San Bernadino, CA, to celebrate. This holiday weekend, we’d like to remind you how much we appreciate you. It’s a time to reflect and to thank you for your support. We may not all have been born or live here in the United States, but we are all united by a common purpose: believing in a world where everyone has access to the eyecare they need to thrive. Thank you also goes to our U.S. Volunteer Faculty members who travel the world sharing their skills and knowledge. And we are thankful for FedEx and their employees, who donated our current Flying Eye Hospital and whose pilots fly our team around the world—and Alcon, who donates state-of-the-art ophthalmic equipment, pharmaceuticals and supplies for the plane and partner hospitals. Your belief in our mission is the foundation upon which we build a better future globally. Together, we can create lasting change.

Exciting news! A five-day training project to improve the skills of local eye care professionals in treating glaucoma has kicked off in Trujillo, Peru. Despite being the second leading cause of blindness in the country, there is a lack of knowledge and skills for treating the disease. Held at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, the training builds on our long-term partnership where we have been working together to improve eye care in Peru for more than four decades. Thank you to all involved for supporting the project and improving access to quality eye care in Peru. Find out more...

More than 40 years ago, Greenwich residents—including the late Tom Knight, Betsy Trippe Wainwright, and Al Ueltschi—and Dr. David Paton began meeting to launch a plane-based hospital that could reach all corners of the world, delivering cutting-edge training to eye doctors in underserved communities. From this, Orbis International was born. To renew, expand, and celebrate the relationship between Orbis and Greenwich, members of the community were invited to an event on Thursday, May 9, at the Round Hill Club. The event was co-hosted by Langdon and Lyn Cook, Jim and Alison Knight, & Bizzie and Leighton Welch. In total, more than 75 Greenwich residents came to the event to learn about our work to help improve eye care around the world. Read more below: https://lnkd.in/ehG5JAr4

The Orbis team had a fantastic final day at International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) #2030INSIGHT LIVE Mexico. Ha and Angel gave their "Rapid Fire" presentations to a packed audience, sharing lessons learned from projects in Vietnam and Peru. There was lots of interest in the team's poster presentations and plenty of opportunities to engage with potential project partners in the 'marketplace' room. There was live music from an authentic Mariachi band to close out the ceremony followed by a speech from the Minister of Health of Nepal, the hosts of next year's INSIGHT LIVE event. A huge thank you to the Orbis team for all their hard work this week, and also to the many other delegates from the eye care community—together we can change the way the world sees.

It was a productive day one for the Orbis team at International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) #2030InSight Mexico! Our team engaged in valuable discussions about making eye care accessible for all by 2030 alongside some of the best minds in the global eye health community. We also shared insights with attendees such as ensuring eye care for displaced populations and promoting women in ophthalmology to boost delivery of eye care services.  Stay tuned for more news from day two... 

The Orbis team arrived at #INSIGHTLIVE 2030 Mexico yesterday! 👏 This morning, Jennifer D. Tapia Boada Project Coordinator for Orbis International in Latin America and the Caribbean, joined a panel of experts to share insights on gender equity in eye health. It was excellent to see the room PACKED with nearly 100 delegates squeezing into the 73 capacity room. The team is excited to get stuck into today's schedule. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

With 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE MEXICO underway, we are delighted to have our very own Jennifer D. Tapia Boada joining other experts for an engaging breakfast morning session hosted by the Women Leaders in Eye Health initiative. The wonderful Jennifer, who is the Project Coordinator for Orbis International in Latin America and the Caribbean, will share her expert knowledge on gender and eye health at Gender Equality at a Crossroads: Moving Forward or Falling Behind tomorrow June 26, 7:45-8:45 am. During the session, speakers from across the sector will take a deep dive into practical strategies for advancing gender equity in eye health and share their experiences and effective approaches for promoting gender equality within their organizations and beyond. A huge thank you to Jennifer and all other panelists for their dedication to gender equity in eye health. Interested? Register for the breakfast session using the QR code in the flyer... #2030InSightLive International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

We’re excited to share that Orbis is attending this year’s International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) #INSIGHTLIVE in Mexico to help mobilize the eye care community to ensure eye care is available to all by 2030. Check out our exciting line up of speakers below. And a big thank you to all of our supporters and partners who make our work possible. https://lnkd.in/eUPumaGb

June is Cataract Awareness Month, a time to shine a spotlight on the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Cataract is a clouding of the lens and blocks light from entering the eye, leading to vision loss and eventually blindness. More than 40% of global blindness is caused by cataracts, even though the disease can be treated with a 20-minute surgery. Millions of people around the world are missing out on the surgery they need due to a lack of access to quality eye care. That’s where the Orbis community steps in. With our network of partners, supporters, staff, and world-leading volunteers, we’re providing communities with the skills and resources they need to treat cataracts. With the generosity of our supporters, we’re providing:  - Specialized simulation prosthetics and portable and affordable virtual reality equipment so eye teams can hone their skills more effectively.  - Hands-on specialized surgical training delivered by world-leading Volunteer Faculty. - Free online lectures, webinars, and even remote consultations, so eye teams around the world can access best-in-class training anywhere, anytime.  Happy #CataractAwarenessMonth! The kindness of our supporters means so much to so many. 

Take your seat on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital and come fly with us as we improve eye care around the world...