The Flying Eye Hospital delivers eye care worldwide—next stop Zambia!

Following a successful training project in Can Tho, Vietnam, earlier this year, the Flying Eye Hospital makes its next stop in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. On board this extraordinary aircraft – a state-of-the-art medical teaching facility with an operating room, classroom, and recovery room –eye health professionals from around Zambia will build and reinforce their eye care skills through a supportive, carefully crafted training curriculum.

This Flying Eye Hospital program will aim to strengthen eye health in Zambia and focus on improving adult and pediatric care throughout the country, where it’s estimated that at least 4% of the population is living with preventable vision loss. Support for these crucial ophthalmic training projects comes from Title Sponsors the Alcon Foundation and OMEGA.

Taking place over the course of three weeks, the project will include training sessions and workshops led by Orbis’s expert staff and Volunteer Faculty. Along with training held on board the Flying Eye Hospital, additional training activities will take place at Orbis’s partner hospital, University Teaching Hospitals-Eye Hospital, in Lusaka.

During the first week of the project surgical simulation training will be provided for ophthalmologists, nurses, and anesthesiologists, helping to boost their confidence and improve the quality of the hands-on training that follows.

The second and third weeks of the project will include live surgical training focusing on eye care subspecialties, such as oculoplastics, pediatric strabismus, adult and pediatric glaucoma, and cataract – the leading cause of blindness in Zambia. Additionally, a biomedical engineering workshop will be provided to engineers and technicians during the second week.

Our Flying Eye Hospital team are thrilled to welcome local trainers from Zambia who will be sharing their skills and expertise with colleagues from across the country.

"This is the first time Zambian ophthalmologists trained through Orbis-sponsored and other fellowships will work alongside Flying Eye Hospital staff and Volunteer Faculty to deliver simulation training to ophthalmology residents," says Dr. Maria Montero, Associate Director of Clinical Services on board the Flying Eye Hospital.

"It is fantastic to see the dedication and expertise shown by local teams, and their desire to pass this on to the next generation of ophthalmologists in their home country."

The critical training provided through the Flying Eye Hospital project gives local doctors the skills they need to treat sight-stealing conditions and restore the vision of children and adults in their communities for years to come.

And none of this sight-saving work would be possible without the help of caring Orbis supporters or project Title Sponsors, OMEGA Watches, and the Alcon Foundation!

For many people in Zambia, access to eye care is scarce. That’s why Orbis has been working hard to ensure treatment is available in the country for over a decade – and we’re making significant progress.

Orbis has helped train and grow the workforce of skilled eye care providers there—increasing the number of ophthalmologists in Zambia from 26 to 38 in the last 6 years. In addition, we’re helping to expand pediatric access to eye health services, so kids like Kapiya, pictured below, can be screened for conditions like ptosis.

With our next Flying Eye Hospital project and ongoing work in Zambia we are committed to preventing and combatting eye diseases throughout the country. By building partnerships with local hospitals, we continue to improve community awareness, increase surgical rates, and provide vital equipment to hospitals and eye care centers.

Additionally, in the last 13 years, Orbis has supported the establishment or improvement of one pediatric hospital, three tertiary eye hospitals, one wet lab, and 32 primary eye care units. And we’ll continue to identify gaps in eye care services in Zambia to ensure that treatment can be delivered to children and adults who need it most.