Orbis delivers training to Ophthalmologists worldwide supported by QFFD

Delivered by Orbis volunteer and cornea specialist, Dr Balamurali Ambati from the Pacific ClearVision Institution, the seminar covered the most innovative advancements in the field of cornea.

In 2016, we launched Qatar Creating Vision with Qatar Fund for Development thanks to an $8 million donation to tackle avoidable vision loss for children across India and Bangladesh. As a result, the largest school eye screening programme of its kind was created. In 2018, the initiative was expanded to South-East Bangladesh to support the Rohingya and local host communities. In four years, 6.7 million eye tests and treatments were delivered across the two countries.

Telemedicine is proving to be a vital tool in the fight against avoidable blindness during the pandemic. In the first six months of 2021, 10,993 people in 178 countries/regions have undertaken training remotely with Cybersight. Our library received over 2.2 million video views.

Dr Hunter Cherwek, Vice President of Clinical Services at Orbis International said:

"No matter where you are in the world, as an eye health professional, you can sign up to Cybersight to access training via seminars and receive support from our expert medical volunteers. The invitation to join the ‘Cornea on the Cutting Edge’ session was open to all eye care specialists and to see such an uptake of participants and so many countries reached, was very encouraging. We’re extremely proud to have the continued support of our strategic partner, the Qatar Fund for Development and thank them for their involvement.”

Mr. Ali Al-Dabbagh, Deputy Director General for Planning, Qatar Fund for Development, further stated:

“Through this seminar, we seized the opportunity to celebrate World Sight Day and our joint-initiative with Orbis. We take great pride in the Qatar Creating Vision’s achievements. Through the development of eye care services, millions of people have access to treatments, without which they may have been forced to drop out of school, leave their job, or be left unable to break the cycle of poverty.

“It is thanks to the dedication of eye health professionals, like those who attend the seminar, who work tirelessly to provide high quality eye care to their communities, that livelihoods and educations can be restored. We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the triumphs of eye care teams across the world.”