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
In Peru, around 950k people are visually impaired and another 145,000 are blind. There is a critical need to tackle some of the more complicated and less understood causes of eye disease in the region such as Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) in premature babies and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR).
A small child walks along a hospital corridor, her mother covering one eye with her hand
Bolivia
Bolivia has one of the highest rates of blindness and visual impairment in South America with almost 200,000 people affected. With only 470 ophthalmologists serving 11 million people, Bolivia lacks the resources - as well as the necessary infrastructure, equipment and technology - to provide high quality eye health services.
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.
