In her role as Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, The Duchess met Orbis supported health workers screening for and treating blinding trachoma at a primary eye care unit. Here she learnt about the challenges people face which can lead to trachoma, including limited access to clean water and sanitation, and the work being undertaken to find and treat those with the condition, including training for case finders which she witnessed first-hand, and providing antibiotics and surgery.
10th October - Visit to Hawassa
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh has visited Orbis supported services protecting the vision of children and adults in Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Her Royal Highness met with members of the community receiving screenings for eye conditions including trachoma
Clean water is a vital component in the fight against trachoma
With repeated infections, trachoma will cause a person’s eye lids to turn inwards, scrapping and damaging the surface with every painful blink.
70% of cases in Ethiopia impact women, who make up 70% or more of those receiving surgery for the advanced stage of this condition through Orbis programmes.
HRH watches as a child receives an eye test from a teachers at their school
Her Royal Highness then visited a local school, to see how children are screened by teachers for many eye conditions, and where they learn about how to protect themselves from trachoma, through school eye care clubs sharing the information through plays and songs.
The early stage of the trachoma infection is most common in children ages 1 – 9. If they develop the condition, their education can be impacted without quick access to treatment.
“Tesfanesh is a teacher, covering grades 1 — 8. She has been trained through our programmes to screen her students for eye conditions and direct them to the necessary services to help them see clearly again”
Her Royal Highness then moved on to Hawassa Tertiary Eye Care Unit, and was shown the simulation training opportunities available at the hospital, which were established by Orbis. With the use of uses virtual reality, and cutting-edge prosthetics, eye care teams can build their skills and confidence safely before progressing to real-life surgeries.
Simulation training is a power tool to practice skills and gain further knowledge
The Duchess was invited to test her skills in cataract surgery, under the guidance of the centres doctors. Simulation training has been proven to effectively decrease complication rates, reduce surgical time and improve outcomes among a surgeon’s early surgical cases.
Her Royal Highness also met with Zemen Beshah is head nurse at the eye care unit and creates a clean and well organised environment to ensure patient safety and comfort.
Previous Visits to Our Work
In her role as Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Her Royal Highness visited our work in India in 2013, to experience a Flying Eye Hospital programme and learn about the sight saving services being provided to the local community in Kolkata.
We were lucky enough to once again welcome The Duchess to our programme in 2017, to Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh where she was reacquainted with nurse Mammoth Adhikary, who she met in the Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute in 2009. Mammoth was involved in the very first Orbis Flying Eye Hospital programme in the country back in 1985 and is now Head Nurse at the hospital.
Her Royal Highness reunites with nurse Mammoth Adhikary, who is now head nurse of Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute.
Tap Below to Discover What We Had in Store for the Duchess the Following Day...
Historic Trachoma Elimination Conference take place in Addis Ababa
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh took part in a historic trachoma elimination conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which bought together over 40 organisations and more than 100 participants who discussed obstacles, successes and future plans.
