Virtual Flying Eye Hospital Project Launches in Ethiopia

With a population of roughly 120 million, Ethiopia is in desperate need of more qualified eye care professionals. However, only a handful of training opportunities are available for for a small number of ophthalmology residents each year. The lack of eye health specialists creates challenges in providing equitable eye care services in, including effective treatments to reduce visual impairment caused by glaucoma and cataract.

To increase training opportunities for Ethiopian ophthalmologists, two courses will be offered during the ten-week virtual Flying Eye Hospital program. The first, Advanced Glaucoma, will teach eye doctors and fellows from Orbis partner hospitals and academic institutions around the country about new techniques and technologies for treating glaucoma. Training will be carried out on Orbis’s telemedicine platform, Cybersight, with interactive live lectures delivered biweekly by Orbis's Volunteer Faculty.

The second course, Simulation Lectures for Residents, will provide participating ophthalmology residents from five academic institutions with an opportunity to build fundamental skills in surgical treatments for cataract and glaucoma. Participants will complete pre-learning content on Cybersight and join biweekly live lectures from Volunteer Faculty.

We established our presence in Ethiopia nearly 25 years ago with an in-country office in Addis Ababa. Since then, we've transformed the eye care sector, including by establishing the Eye Bank of Ethiopia. This facility was the first of its kind among sub-Saharan African countries, introducing subspeciality services, pediatric eye care units and training programs for mid-level eye care workers. We've also worked with partners to expand programs to prevent childhood blindness. This includes developing a comprehensive rural eye health system focused on delivering services to address trachoma, cataract and refractive error.

Since establishing an office in Ethiopia, Orbis and partners have:

As we continue our sight-saving work in Ethiopia, we're working closely with partners and institutions to give the best training and care, ensuring long-term success. With projects like our annual mass drug administration of Zithromax to prevent trachoma, and programs like our virtual Flying Eye Hospital, we're confident we can continue to reduce the burden of blindness in Ethiopia.

A big thanks to all of you—our donors—for your generous contributions. They're what keep our mission in flight!