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Simul Can Play

April 05, 2017

Four-year-old Simul has had a very difficult childhood. His mother and father left him when he was only a small baby, and he was raised by his grandmother. At an early age, he began to have difficulty seeing. His grandmother heard about an eye health outreach program happening in their town and took Simul to be examined.

A Bright Future for Abenet

April 25, 2018

Thanks to your support, Abenet's father no longer worries about his son's future.

Centric Health

KCC Architectural

Cargocare Ltd

Abbey International Finance

#IWD - Women are more affected by avoidable blindness than men

March 08, 2019

On International Women’s Day, Orbis is joining calls for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls the world over.

MacDonald Financial

Flying Eye Hospital lands in Peru

April 03, 2018

The Flying Eye Hospital has touched down in Trujillo, Peru, for a three-week training program to help strengthen the skills of eye teams right across the region.

Video: Changing the way the world sees

April 05, 2018

This Saturday 7th April is World Health Day! to commemorate we've put together a short video celebrating the contributions of our supporters and partners. Please take a moment to watch and share.

Vintage footage of Orbis through the years

May 02, 2018

This is an AMAZING video put together by an Orbis supporter featuring vintage footage of our Flying Eye Hospital in the news in the 70s and 80s. You’ll see ‘Project Orbis’ in Cuba during the Cold War, improving relations between the Turks and Greeks in Cyprus and even hosting Mother Theresa.

Flying Eye Hospital Lands in Barbados

May 14, 2018

The Flying Eye Hospital has landed in Barbados for its two-week regional conference with the Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies. This is the first time the plane has ever touched down in Barbados.

Run 20/20

Run 20/20 has set the challenge. This May, run for 20 minutes over 20 days and help Orbis to battle blindness. ​

The beauty of Run 20/20 is that you have control! Whether it’s in the gym, at your local park or part of an organised run – it all counts as long as it’s for at least 20 minutes!​

Dr William Dean

Clinical Research Fellow, International Center for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr Elethia Dean

Nursing Certification, Consultant, ASC Compliant LLC.

Dr Michael Vrabec

Clinical Instructor of Ophthalmology

Dr Rudy Wagner

Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Dr Kakarla V. Chalam

Professor & Director of Retina, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California.

Dr Nathan Schwarts

Red Lion Surgery Center, Philadelphia

Dr Alessia Adduci

Faculty Department of Anesthesia & Intensive Care, Catholic University of Rome

Dr Elizabeth Castro

Technical Support Specialist, Alco Laboratories Inc. California.

Barbados: Flying Eye Hospital Program wrap up

June 11, 2018

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital leaves Barbados after a successful two week training program helping improve eye care across the Caribbean.

IAC Ltd

The A&L Goodbody AirFinance 5km Run

January 23, 2018

MONGOLIA

In Mongolia, access to high quality, affordable eye care services is limited in both urban and rural areas. Lack of equipment, training and infrastructure are major barriers to adequate care and there is no comprehensive framework to treat children’s eye disease.

GECAS

The Great Ethiopian Run 2017

December 07, 2017

​The Orbis team put on our running shoes and headed back to Addis for the 9th year taking part in the Great Ethiopian Run!

Donate today

Orbis Ireland Evaluation

Aircastle Advisor

Amedeo

Apollo

Boeing

Eirtrade Aviation

Embraer

Goshawk

The Gift of Sight Ball in aid of Orbis 2018

January 24, 2018

On Wednesday 24 January, Orbis hosted the Gift of Sight Ball at the RDS Dublin. On the night, an impressive €140,000 was raised for our sight restoring work in southern Ethiopia!

Holland and Knight

Jackson Square

Matheson

PwC

Santos Dumont

Seraph Aviation Management

SMBC Aviation Capital

SR Technics

Standard Chartered

Walkers

Delivering eye care to Rohingya people in Bangladesh

June 19, 2018

Since February 2018, Orbis has been screening and treating Rohingya people in South East Bangladesh as the first eye care organisation to establish services within the camps.

Glasses study shows huge productivity boost for workers

July 23, 2018

A landmark study, published today in The Lancet Global Health, showcases how a simple pair of glasses can boost workers’ productivity and reduce poverty.

CNN step on board the Flying Eye Hospital

December 06, 2017

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta steps on board our amazing Flying Eye Hospital during its recent visit to Cameroon. The three part series can be watched below. A big thanks to CNN and everyone who made this possible.

Meet the man behind the Flying Eye Hospital

September 15, 2020

See how Bruce Johnson, a retired Air Force flight engineer turned FedEx flight instructor, oversees an ‘engineering masterpiece’ in the fight against preventable blindness — even during COVID-19.

DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A GENDER GAP IN BLINDNESS?

55% of people who are visually impaired are women. Two thirds of children who are blind are female. Below, we explore the reasons behind this injustice and meet some of the women who are doing something about it.

COVID-19

April 20, 2020

As we monitor the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Orbis has contingency plans in place to protect our people, partners and volunteers, as well as our mission.

Focus on Telemedicine

April 02, 2020

Cybersight is our award winning remote training and education platform. It was launched in 2003 to allow health teams around the world to access our training and education tools anywhere, anytime - and it looks like it's going to play a bigger part in our plans for 2020 than anyone imagined.

Orbis Anesthesiologist Dr. Choyce Provides Critical Care on Front-lines of Coronavirus

April 20, 2020

Dr. Andrew Choyce, a Staff Anesthesiologist, started volunteering with us 15 years ago. For the last 10 years has been working for us part time - splitting between the Flying Eye Hospital and two London hospitals. Like many of our staff and Volunteer Faculty anesthesiologists Andrew is now using his skills to help on the front-line of the pandemic.

The Eye Health Field Assistants Taking on Coronavirus in Ethiopia

June 04, 2020

As many of the routine eye health services in Ethiopia have been temporarily suspended, a group of local eye health Field Assistant and Drivers are now working to keep their communities safe from coronavirus.

Our work in 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.

THE IECW PROTECTING HIS COMMUNITY THROUGH A PANDEMIC

June 18, 2020

Temesgen is an Integrated Eye Care Worker (IECW) based at a health centre in Ethiopia. He was first trained by Orbis in 2012 and has been working as an IECW for eight years. IECWs are primary care nurses trained in eye care to identify and treat infections, TT and refractive error and to refer patients to district and regional units as appropriate.

Orbis volunteer trains Zambian doctors remotely on the first virtual Flying Eye Hospital programme

July 22, 2020

The in-person part of our mission to empower local communities to fight blindness may be temporarily grounded, but our online training has been taking off. Volunteer Faculty member Dr. Lee Alward took to Cybersight to train doctors virtually in our first ever Virtual Flying Eye Hospital program.

New President and CEO Derek Hodkey joins Orbis

September 07, 2020

We’re delighted to announce that Derek Hodkey has been appointed to lead Orbis and its fight against avoidable blindness as its new President and CEO.

SIGHTLINES: EDUCATIONAL EYE HEALTH MEDICAL PODCASTS

SIGHTLINES is a new Orbis Video Podcast series hosted by our very own Dr. Hunter Cherwek, Vice President of Clinical Services. The series will discuss the global fight against blindness, how COVID-19 is impacting that fight, and how Orbis is innovating to overcome and move forward.

Thank You

The Great Ethiopian Run

November 15, 2020

Today is usually the most exciting day of the year for Orbis Ireland, we should all be walking down the crowded streets of Addis Ababa right now on our way to take part in the Great Ethiopian Run.

To bring back the memories here's a reeling in the years of the Great Ethiopian Run since 2008.

WORLD PREMATURITY DAY

November 17, 2020

Every year on November 17, World Prematurity Day is marked globally to raise awareness of the 15 million babies born early & the impact it has on families. Being born preterm also comes with the risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity & blindness. But what is Retinopathy of Prematurity and what can we do about it?

SIGHTLINES Episode 2: The Orbis Spirit of Innovation

November 13, 2020

Sightlines episode 3: a new flight plan

November 20, 2020

Orbis Irelands COVID-19 Response

December 20, 2020

Four million people in Ethiopia are blind or visually impaired due to preventable or treatable causes, its health system has insufficient resources to address the need. In addition, Ethiopia has the highest global burden of trachoma, an eye infection that ultimately can lead to irreversible blindness, with 68 million people at risk.​​

Eye Believe

I BELIEVE. YOU BELIEVE. WE BELIEVE!

Host your own fundraising event!

Whether it’s a quiz night, bake sale, dress up day or ultra-sporting challenges, you can host your own fundraising event, whether at school, at work or with friends. Every euro you raise helps to prevent avoidable blindness in Ethiopia.

SWIM FOR SIGHT

For 2021 Orbis Ireland is setting you the challenge to Swim for Sight. You choose where you swim and how far you swim each day. Whether it’s once off, once a week or once a day- whatever your level, set your target. All Orbis asks of you is that you take the plunge this year.

Hell and Back

HELL & BACK, Ireland’s Toughest Mental & Physical Endurance Challenge, is the country’s largest and most popular obstacle course run. Join Orbis Ireland during the Hell and Back challenge in Kilruddery Gardens, Co Wicklow on Saturday September 11th and take on this adventure challenge.

Four Peaks Challenge

We are setting you the challenge to conquer the highest peaks across the four provinces of Ireland throughout 2021. You have all year to do it – How many will you climb?

The View From The Cockpit: 10 Questions With Captain Gary Dyson

November 10, 2020

Orbis’s Chief Pilot, Gary Dyson, quite literally leads our fight against avoidable blindness – landing our plane safely in communities around the world. We took a moment with Gary to reflect on his lifetime dedicated to giving back and changing lives.

Update: Women Deliver 2019

June 05, 2019

We're fortunate to have some extraordinary women at the heart of the Orbis family. Right now, five of us are at the Women Deliver conference in Canada where thousands of people have come together to tackle the biggest issues women and girls face around the world.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIGHTING BLINDNESS IN ETHIOPIA

July 31, 2018

We’re proud to announce a huge milestone – we’re now celebrating 20 years of fighting blindness in Ethiopia. Our Addis Ababa office was officially registered in 1998 and became our very first program office outside the US.

The Gift of Sight Ball in aid of Orbis 2019

January 30, 2019

On Wednesday 23 January, Orbis hosted the Gift of Sight Ball at the RDS Dublin. On the night, an impressive €160,000 was raised for our sight restoring work in southern Ethiopia!

Tackling trachoma in Ethiopia: a World Water Week update

August 20, 2019

​This year, Orbis is celebrating 21 years of eye health development in Ethiopia, ensuring that people are able to access the eye care they deserve.

Orbis and the Sporting Proud Triathlon 2018

September 12, 2018

On Saturday 1st September, Orbis supporters took part in the 22nd Sporting Proud Triathlon in aid of Orbis Ireland.

Flying Eye Hospital lands in Ethiopia for World Sight Day

October 05, 2018

The Flying Eye Hospital has landed in Ethiopia ️to help celebrate World Sight Day and our 20th anniversary of sight saving work there. We'll be working alongside our partners - the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ophthalmological Society of Ethiopia - to conduct a three-week training program to help improve the skills of local eye teams.

World Sight Day - #WhyICare

October 09, 2018

This Thursday is World Sight Day and we're taking the opportunity to ask our supporters and partners to tell us why they care about eye care - #WhyICare.

AVOLON & CLIFFORD CHANCE DINNER 2018

November 02, 2018

On Wednesday 31 October Avolon and Clifford Chance hosted a dinner in Hong Kong in aid of Orbis. The evening coincided with the 2018 Hong Kong Airfinance Conference.

THE GREAT ETHIOPIAN RUN 2018

December 04, 2018

The Orbis team put on their running shoes and headed back to Addis for the spectacular Great Ethiopian Run.

MEET ABIYOT: INTEGRATED EYE CARE WORKER, ETHIOPIA

December 06, 2018

Abiyot is an Integrated Eye Care Worker in Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia, where he grew up. He lives there with his wife and four children. Trained just two years ago, he has made a significant impact on his community already.

Patient stories: treating Malate, Ethiopia, for trachoma

February 01, 2020

Mother of two Malate had been suffering with trachoma for a year without seeking help for fear of the cost. When she met Abiyot, an Orbis-trained Integrated Eye Care Worker, everything changed. Now, having undergone trachomatous trichiasis surgery, Malate is excited to start this new chapter in her life.

SNNP Region, Ethiopia

Vote for Chief Pilot Gary Dyson

February 14, 2019

We’re delighted to announce our Chief Pilot Captain Gary Dyson has been nominated for an Endeavor Award. This prestigious award recognizes pilots who go above and beyond and give back to their communities through volunteering.

Five Reasons Blindness is a Gender Issue

May 28, 2019

Gender is something that’s discussed a lot these days, but no one is talking about the gender gap in blindness – 139 million women & girls are living with blindness and vision loss. That's 25 million more women than men.

So why does this injustice exist? Here are five reasons...

Policy Documents 2019

MEET THE WOMEN FIGHTING BLINDNESS IN BANGLADESH

The Singra Vision Center in Bangladesh is a unique place to go for eye care. It’s successfully run by three hardworking and dedicated eye health professionals who are all women in their 20s.

HELPING WOMEN FIGHT TRACHOMA IN ETHIOPIA

Women are four times more likely to be affected by blinding trachoma compared to men. In collaboration with local partners, we have provided around 150,000 surgeries, among which 70% were for women and girls.

THE WOMEN FIGHTING BLINDNESS IN ZAMBIA

In 2015 we conducted a research initiative to investigate why fewer women than men were accessing cataract surgical treatment in the Northwest province.

A LIFE DEDICATED TO FIGHTING BLINDNESS IN MONGOLIA

March 07, 2019

As one of the most qualified cataract ophthalmologists in Mongolia Dr. Enkhutshin's work ethic is pretty inspiring. With the country's cataract rates so high and a cataract surgical rate the lowest in Asia, she's committed to fighting blindness in her country by sharing her top class eye care skills with local eye care teams.

PARTNERING WITH INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN THE COMMUNITY

In 2017 we began partnering with 'Queen Mothers' - respected women who have influential positions in their communities, to help improve public awareness on eye care in Ghana.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: MEET ORBIS HERO VALERIE SUBERG

March 07, 2019

In honor of International Women's Day we're delighted to introduce you to a vital member of the Orbis family - Valerie Suberg - our Senior Manager of Aircraft Maintenance. Without this incredible woman, our Flying Eye Hospital would never get off the ground - literally.

Through the Eyes of Women and Girls

Blindness is a gender issue that no one is talking about. 55% of people suffering from blindness are female. 70% of patients suffering from blinding trachoma are women. Below, we discuss some of the reasons for this and the women who are doing something about it. After all, a brighter future for women is a brighter future for the planet.

Orbis and Irish Aid

May 09, 2019

Orbis Ireland and the Irish Government have a history of working together successfully. Together, our aim is to eliminate the threat of avoidable blindness in Ethiopia, restore sight, where possible, and build a legacy of quality eye care that will ensure no one goes needlessly blind in the future.

FLYING EYE HOSPITAL LANDS IN CHILE FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART SIMULATION TRAINING

May 17, 2019

The Flying Eye Hospital has touched down in Santiago, Chile, for the very first time ahead of its second project of 2019. Thanks to the generosity of our project sponsor Collins Aerospace, we will focus on strengthening the skills of local teams through cutting-edge simulation training.

The Orbis Approach: Specialist Training in Ethiopia

December 07, 2017

Lack of adequate training for healthcare professionals is a problem around the world. Providing first-rate training is essential to solving this problem, and it's a primary component of our efforts.

Asegedech Gets Her future Back

November 20, 2017

Asegedech lives in Ethiopia and for two years she suffered the pain and discomfort of the life-destroying eye disease, trachoma before she was reached by Orbis.

Your donations saved Jefferson's sight

May 30, 2017

Nine-year-old Jefferson suffered from strabismus, or a misalignment of his eyes, his entire life. Left untreated, he would go blind. Thanks to your donations, an Orbis-trained doctor at his local hospital was able to perform a surgery to correct the strabismus, giving Jefferson a new lease on life.