Protecting the vision of newborns in Peru — and how you can help!

When a child is born early, the blood vessels at the back of their eyes can grow abnormally and permanently damage their retinas – putting babies at risk of losing their sight.

At Orbis, we believe that no child should start their life with impaired vision from an avoidable cause. And with the right awareness, knowledge, and equipment, ROP is entirely preventable.

ROP is particularly prevalent in Latin America and Southeast Asia, but few hospitals there have the training and resources needed to deliver the highly time-sensitive care to babies in need. That’s why Orbis’s efforts in these regions focus heavily on training doctors and nurses to screen and treat newborns and help to provide the necessary resources to save the sight of our tiniest patients.

And with the help of our caring supporters, Orbis can continue to combat ROP and protect the vision of newborns in countries like Peru and worldwide – now with twice the impact!

When you make a gift to Orbis by 8/31 it will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $103,140, thanks to a special matching gift challenge from longtime supporter, Mrs. Leslys Vedder, in memory of her late husband, Dr. James Vedder.

Mrs. Vedder is deeply committed to fighting avoidable blindness and helping to make ROP screening and treatment possible in Peru. Please join her in saving babies’ sight with a gift today!

Read more below to learn about the incredible impact Orbis supporters are making to protect the vision of newborns!

When little Genesis was born 15 weeks early in a hospital near her home in Trujillo, Peru, her situation was dire. The newborn weighed only slightly more than a pound and needed constant medical care. She was also at risk of going blind just as her life was beginning.

Genesis’s mother, Lizbeth, was worried her daughter might not survive and recalled: “They took her to [intensive care] with a ventilator and respirator. The pediatric doctors never gave me any hope. They told me that the baby was very little and that she wasn’t going to make it.”

But Genesis showed a remarkable will to live. However, more troubling news came after doctors examined Genesis’s eyes. They told her mother that her child was likely to go blind.

Genesis – like all babies born prematurely – was at risk of the eye disease retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

But the good news is that with the right training and equipment, ROP can be prevented. And, thankfully, Orbis-trained doctors at the Trujillo Regional Hospital – one of our partner hospitals in Peru – were there to intervene and provide Genesis with the sight-saving care she needed.

After several ROP treatments over the course of her time at the hospital, Genesis’s precious sight was preserved!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community of supporters, Orbis can work with local partners in Peru and worldwide to help ensure babies receive the care and treatment they need to prevent them from a lifetime of vision loss.

One remarkable Orbis supporter is Mrs. Leslys Vedder, who, along with her late husband, has a long history of partnering with Orbis to ensure children have access to the eye care they need. Today, she’s pledged to match all gifts, dollar-for-dollar, up to $103,140, to honor the memory of her husband.

Dr. Vedder lost an eye in a tragic childhood accident but had to wait until he was an adult to get a prosthetic replacement. His experience made the Vedders deeply committed to helping others – especially children.

We’re so grateful that Mrs. Vedder has continued to honor her husband’s legacy by partnering with Orbis to make ROP screening and treatment possible in Peru – and doubling your generous contribution today!

Make a gift to Orbis today and you can help ensure babies grow up with sight – able to see their parents’ faces and the world around them – and saving them from a lifetime of preventable vision loss.

Remember, when you donate by 8/31, your gift will go twice as far in supporting ROP screenings for infants in Peru and around the world, thanks to a special matching gift opportunity from Mrs. Vedder.