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Give the Gift of Sight

In low income countries, 8 in 10 blind people don’t need to be. Conditions such as cataracts, which are often easily operable in developed countries, can cause a lifetime’s worth of blindness in counties where quality eye care is out of reach for most.

Join us on an incredible journey and we’ll show you how your support can drastically change the lives of blind people living in some of the poorest communities. Click on the video link below to see our Flying Eye Hospital in action.

With your help, we can train the eye care teams of tomorrow, empowering them to save sight in their own countries for generations to come. Please make a donation today.

Tuul's squint didn't...
Meet Blessjah Adegok...
Vijay's vision for t...
Training the next ge...
Hope for Esther

6 year old Tuul from Ulaan-Bataar, Mongolia, was one of hundreds of people who came to the State Central Clinical Hospital with the hope of getting her sight and life back.

At the State Central Clinical Hospital in Ulaan-Bataar, Mongolia, there were more than a hundred patients waiting for the ORBIS screening session. The general mood in the hall was one of anticipation. Tuul, waited patiently with her mother and shared her smile with everyone else too. She was screened by an ORBIS volunteer medic and local staff and diagnosed with squint on both eyes. Her mother entered the consent room, and ORBIS's medical staff discussed the possible complications of Tuul’s surgery, but reassured her about the positive changes that it would bring to her daughter’s life. Tuul never stopped smiling at everyone that went past until the moment they left the hospital. The sight saving operation day Tuul was ready for surgery onboard the Flying Eye Hospital; she looked slightly nervous; but managed a smile. ORBIS Volunteer Dr Wagner performed the operation to correct the muscles around Tuul's eyes and it was a great success. She woke up after the operation and turned to the volunteer anaesthetist, Dr Raval, and said “Thank you for fixing my eyes”. Everyone in the recovery room was moved by how thoughtful and happy she was. The next day, Tuul boarded the Flying Eye hospital again with other patients from the day before and the doctors examined her to confirm that her surgery went well and over the next few days her eyes will heal fully. “She is very happy that she can see better. Now my daughter can go to school and be treated normally like everyone else” said her mother. Not only will ORBIS's work have a massive impact on Tuul’s future, but to the future of eye care in Mongolia as a whole. Tuul also brought a massive smile to the faces of everyone who met her. ORBIS treats eye problems in children like Tuul, trains eye care professionals to provide quality eye care, equipment and tools to help save sight worldwide. Join our sight-saving journey and give the gift of sight to others like Tuul.

Little Blessjah Adegoke's sight was deteriorating rapidly as his cataract grew. He had gone blind, then he met ORBIS volunteer paediactric ophthalmologist Dr. Itay Ben-Zion and the team on programme in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Two year old Blessjah suffers from congenital cataract, a condition that has stopped him from enjoying the playful life of a boy of his age and also threatened his chances of a good education and an independent adult life. His father, Eniafe, first noticed the 'white flakes' in both his eyes when his son was just nine months old. When a doctor at his local hospital in Nigeria told him about the ORBIS programme in Ilorin, he was certain that this was the answer to his prayers and did not hesitate to leave his farm to travel over 400 km by bus to get to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital to meet the ORBIS team. Dr Itay Ben-Zion, ORBIS volunteer paediatric ophthalmologist, operated on Blessjah's right eye to remove the cataract whilst training selected local ophthalmologists in the latest paediatric techniques. He explained: ‘It appears that Blessjah's cataracts were developing at a rapid rate, consequently his vision was deteriorating fast and his world was closing in on him.' The operation went smoothly and Blessjah could see clearly again. Within minutes he began reaching for coloured toys that were placed in front of him. After a couple of weeks Blessjah returned to Ilorin to have the cataract removed from his left eye. It is so important that, together, we continue to bring light and sight into children’s lives. Please help us to give more children the future they deserve. Join our sight-saving journey and give the gift of sight to others like Blessjah.

At the age of five Vijay developed cataracts, a clouding of the lens, a simple procedure is all that was needed to restore his sight

Patient: Vijay Sain, Male, 9 years old Trainee doctor: Ophthalmologist: Dr Winnie Ganwal, India Volunteer doctor: Mr Donal Brosnahan, Ireland Condition: Cataract Outcome: Vision restored More than 320,000 children under the age of 16 are blind in India, and ORBIS has been working here since 1988 to change this. At the age of five Vijay developed cataracts, a clouding of the lens. Though a simple procedure is all that was needed to restore his sight, access to eye care where he lives in Jaipur is very limited. By nine, Vijay was almost blind, his family brought him to Sahai Hospital, where ORBIS volunteer Mr Donal Brosnahan performed surgery, explaining and demonstrating each stage of the surgical process to Dr Winnie Ganwal. It was an instant success. Weeks later, Dr Ganwal operated on his left eye and Vijay’s sight was restored. He can now look forward to a brighter future. He is doing well at school and he no longer needs to be accompanied when he goes out. Please make a donation today to help more children like Vijay.

Training the next generation. Dr. Patricia Chirinos, Peru

In 2009 our Flying Eye Hospital was invited to Peru. Dr Patricia Chirinos is training to become an ophthalmologist in Trujillo, where glaucoma is a major cause of blindness. Glaucoma is a build up of pressure in the eye. Dr Brandt, an ORBIS Medical Volunteer from California, was Dr Chirinos’ trainer aboard the plane. “Dr Brandt showed me new techniques and gave time to some very valuable discussions about the advantages of drugs to manage cases of glaucoma. His experience, especially with children, has been very empowering” she said. “We used to have to refer some of the very difficult cases to other hospitals in Lima, or elsewhere because we didn’t have the equipment or skills needed in the difficulty of the case. During this ORBIS programme, we have been able to present similar cases to Dr. Brandt in order to learn how to approach and manage them ourselves. With your help, we can continue to deliver training ophthalmologists across the world.

Meet 5 year old Esther who brought a smile to the Flying Eye Hospital in Uganda

Patient: Esther Nassli, Female, 5 years old Trainee doctor: Ophthalmologist: Dr Grace, Uganda Volunteer doctor: Dr Daniel Neely, USA Condition: Bilateral Strabismus (squint in both eyes) Outcome: Vision restored Uganda’s healthcare is ranked as one of the worst in the world according to the World Health Organisation and has approximately half a million blind people. We met Esther when our Flying Eye Hospital visited Uganda in March this year. Her sight was very poor due to squint. Esther was orphaned at the age of 2 and raised by grandmother. Falling ill, her grandmother could not care for her any longer, so she went to live with her maternal aunt who Esther now calls Mummy being too young to retain any memories of her natural mother. Onboard the plane, volunteer ophthalmologist Dr Neely of Indiana University’s School of Medicine performed the operation on her right eye and Dr Grace from Mulago hospital, Kampala, on her left eye. The procedure was a success. Dr Neely said, “Esther was dancing onboard the plane when she realised she could see everything. It was magical.” Today, you have the chance to create more stories like Esther’s. Please make a donation today.

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Registered office: 4th Floor Fergusson House, 124-128 City Road, London EC1V 2NJ. Registered Charity Number 1061352. Company limited by guarantee no. 3303689. ORBIS UK is an affiliate of ORBIS International.