Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2018 | Page 47
Innovate & Inspire |
P
reventing childhood blindness is
surely one of the most valuable
of all goals. Qatar Creating Vision is
on a mission to do just that – in some
of the world’s most disadvantaged
communities.
Qatar Creating Vision was
established in 2015 thanks to the
generosity of the Qatar Fund for
Development (QFFD). Led by the
international eye care charity Orbis,
it aims to deliver 5.6 million eye tests
and treatments to children across
India and Bangladesh.
There are 473,000 blind children
across these countries, with more
children affected by blindness in
India than anywhere else in the
world.
Schoolchildren are tested and given
glasses if necessary, so they can see
the blackboard. Antibiotics are given
for infections, preventing sight loss.
And teachers and health workers
are trained to spot eye conditions, so
health workers to religious leaders.
This year, the programme
expanded to support
the displaced Rohingya
people, struggling with
sight loss within camps in
Bangladesh. The majority
of Rohingya people have
never had access to eye
care.
they can be treated promptly, even in
remote rural settings.
A specialist centre in Bangladesh
now tackles Retinopathy of
Prematurity (ROP), an eye condition
affecting premature babies.
Ali Abdulla Al Dabbagh, Deputy
Director General for Planning at the
Qatar Fund for Development, says:
‘Qatar Creating Vision programmes
run all year round and to date over
3.6 million screenings have been
provided to children, and over
45,000 people have been trained on
eye health, from ophthalmologists to
‘Around 179,000 spectacles have
been prescribed to children and a
further 1,100 surgeries have taken
place.’
He adds: ‘At the heart of the
programme is the mission to identify
any abnormality in children’s vision
through timely screening, to prevent
childhood blindness, and help break
the cycle of emotional trauma, social
exclusion, and economic hardship
that usually accompanies people who
have blindness.’
The programme in Bangladesh has
been supported by the Orbis Flying
Eye Hospital. From the outside, it
seems like a typical passenger plane
– but on the inside it is truly unique.
It features a state-of-the-art teaching
facility, complete with operating
room, classroom and recovery room.
Over the course of two weeks, 18
Orbis medical volunteers from
around the world shared their skills
with local eye-care teams.
During the programme, 50 medical
professionals were trained and 75
people – including 23 children –
were treated.
This year, the programme expanded
to support the displaced Rohingya
people, struggling with sight loss
within camps in Bangladesh. More
treatments have been required than
expected and most are severe cases,
as the majority of Rohingya people
have never had access to eye care.
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