Latin America & the Caribbean
There are more than 26 million individuals who are visually impaired in Latin America & the Caribbean, including 3.2 million who are blind. Orbis has been working in the region since 2002 in more than 16 countries, partnering with organizations like WHO and IAPB, as well as with national public ophthalmology services and the Ministries of Health.
Peru
Our Flying Eye Hospital first touched down in Lima in 1982, and it signaled the beginning of a long relationship of ophthalmic training and skills-sharing. Some 1.1 million Peruvians are living with blindness or visual impairment out of a population of only 33 million.
A small child walks along a hospital corridor, her mother covering one eye with her hand
Bolivia
Orbis launched its work in Bolivia in 2017 with a new program focused on training the next generation of ophthalmologists, in partnership with the National Institute of Ophthalmology, in La Paz.
Chile
We began working in Chile, where there are more than 57,000 people living with blindness and 470,000 people with vision impairment, in the fall of 2018. Simulation is a large part of our strategy both to help reach more people, and more importantly, improve patient safety.
OUR WORK IN GUYANA
In Guyana, around 14,000 people are visually impaired and almost 3,000 people are blind. Strengthening Diabetic Retinopathy eye care services is a major area of focus with diabetes affecting an estimated 15.1% of the country’s total population.
