Royal support for Flying Eye Hospital charity

The Countess spoke in support of Orbis during the virtual event

HRH the Countess of Wessex spoke at a recent virtual event hosted by the charity Orbis, to discuss delivering eyecare to those most in need during the Covid-19 outbreak.

As Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the Countess heard how the charity had adapted at the start of the pandemic to ensure it could effectively support its partners across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where the majority of those with vision loss in the world live.

Orbis has been transforming lives through the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for nearly four decades. With a close network of partners, they mentor and train local eyecare teams – from community workers to doctors and nurses – so that they can save and restore vision in their communities.

Orbis does this through its long-term programmes, on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, a state-of-the-art ophthalmic teaching hospital on board a customised aircraft, and through its telemedicine platform, Cybersight.

During the event, supporters heard how due to the pandemic Orbis quickly adapted to provide virtual Flying Eye Hospital projects through Cybersight to ensure eyecare professionals could continue to grow their skills. In 2020, Orbis trained 26,036 eye health professionals in 192 countries/regions through Cybersight – more than three times more individuals and nine more countries than in 2019.

The Countess spoke about her previous visits to Orbis projects in India and Bangladesh, where she saw the impact of training at local hospitals and on board the Flying Eye Hospital, and spoke to children who had received surgery.

She said: “The care given by the Orbis team is absolutely wonderful….You don’t just bring new techniques and new technology into countries that need help, Orbis trains eye surgeons and ophthalmologists to actually do it for themselves, working with what they have.”

The panel of Orbis experts highlighted other areas of their work, including training teams in Zambia, delivering eyecare to the refugee population in South East Bangladesh, and tackling trachoma in Ethiopia.

Rebecca Cronin, chief executive of Orbis UK, said: “Her Royal Highness is an incredible advocate for sight worldwide, and we have been honoured to welcome her to our projects in India and Bangladesh.

“The world as we know it changed in 2020, as did Orbis programmes. We are proud of our partners, who have been delivering vital treatments in difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Our medical volunteers, who would normally deliver face-to-face training, have worked hard with our team to develop virtual programmes, supporting doctors and nurses across the world, in order to deliver more sight-saving surgeries.

“All of our work is only possible with the help of our hospital partners and donors. Their generosity and dedication over the years have brought vital services closer to home for those who need it most.”

To support the work of Orbis visit www.orbis.org.uk