Orbis Air Hospital Teams Up with Crestron

“In a world first, eye care company Orbis International has teamed up with telecommunications company Crestron, to equip and MD-10 aircraft with a variety of telecommunications and mHealth services. The aim of the aircraft is to provide eye care to the developing world,” according to Health Care Global. “The aircraft, donated by FedEx, will be equipped with an operating theatre, laser treatment room, communications center, recovery room, audio-visual/IT room and a 46-seat classroom.” Read more.

Partnering Up to Fight Poor Eye Care and Poverty in South Africa

Orbis, the Brien Holden Vision Institute and African Vision Research Institute (AVRI) have joined forces around the issue of eye health and poverty in South Africa. The consortium aims to improve the understanding of the impact of visual loss on poverty and to develop relationships with key organisations working in poverty reduction to mainstream eye health.. Read more

FedEx Founder Honored for Eye Care Work

"The National Business Aviation Association on Monday announced that FedEx Express and founder Frederick W. Smith will be honored for using aviation for humanitarian purposes," according to the Commercial Appeal. "FedEx has been the leading aviation sponsor for more than 30 years of the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital, a collaboration of eye care professionals and aviators that provides vision care in developing countries." Read more.

Orbis Flies to China

Orbis's Flying Eye Hospital touched down recently in Lanzhou, China, to conduct a program focused on building the skills of local eye care professionals. The program is part of Obrbis's continuous commitment to support ongoing in-country programs in China aimed at promoting skills, improving eye health awareness and delivering quality patient care. Read more.

PCI Awards Grants to Orbis and ICEH for Their Work with Children

The Pediatric Cataract Initiative (PCI), a collaboration between Bausch + Lomb and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), has awarded two $50,000 research grants to Orbis in South Africa and Zambia and to The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) in Bangladesh. PCI gives its grants to organizations strengthen and expand treatment for preventable childhood blindness, particularly pediatric cataract. PCI reviewed 14 small research grant applications from around the world including countries such as Hungary, Nigeria, Nepal, Malawi, and New Zealand before ultimately choosing the projects of Orbis and ICEH. 

IFE Creates Promo Film for Orbis

IFE Services, a leading in-flight entertainment (IFE) provider, today announced that it has helped produce a new promotional film for the sight saving charity, Orbis. The international charity delivers the tools, training and technology necessary for local partners to develop their own capacity to provide eye care services that are affordable, accessible and sustainable. At the heart of Orbis's  efforts is the Flying Eye Hospital - the world's only airborne eye health training and surgical centre. The IFE's promotional film will inform people about the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital and the need for funds to finance a new plane that will continue this sight saving legacy. The film is currently being used during one-to-one meetings with current and prospective supporters of the charity to update them on the next generation Flying Eye Hospital project. Read more.

ORBIS Flies into the Philippines

Orbis's Flying Eye Hospital recently touched down in the Philippines to deliver teaching and training to local eye care providers and sight-saving surgeries to those suffering from avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Read more.

Aircastle Hooks Up with Orbis

Aircastle Limited will work with Orbis International to provide eye care services to Haiti to further the country's reconstruction following the 2010 earthquake.  Orbis prevents and treats blindness by providing quality eye care to transform lives. Read more.

Flying Eye Hospital Goes South

At the invitation of the Regional President of La Libertad, the Ministry of Health, Instituto Regional de Oftalmologia (IRO) and sponsored by FedEx, ORBIS International landed its flagship Flying Eye Hospital – a converted DC-10 aircraft, flown by volunteer FedEx pilots, containing a state-of-the-art surgical and teaching facility – in Trujillo, Peru. During the next few weeks, the ORBIS medical team will conduct an intensive skills-exchange program for ophthalmic practitioners and medical personnel from around the region aboard this unique aircraft. In addition to the Flying Eye Hospital program, ORBIS will extend this program a fourth week to include a Hospital-based program with its partner in Chiclayo to address diabetic retinopathy and ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). Read more.

Orbis Gets Plane from FedEx

FedEx and ORBIS International, a leading global organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, today kicked off a North American Goodwill Tour in Los Angeles, California with the announcement of a new $5.375 million commitment in the form of cash and in-kind gifts from FedEx. In addition, FedEx will donate an MD-10-30 cargo aircraft to ORBIS to be the third-generation Flying Eye Hospital. The Flying Eye Hospital will also visit Burlington, VT, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, Memphis, TN, and Toronto and Ottawa, Canada between August and November to raise public awareness of the need to eliminate avoidable blindness. That's the story from the company's press release. Read more.

ORBIS Goes to Mongolia

Schematic of ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital

"ORBIS and its global team of volunteer eye care specialists completed an intensive three-week program in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (June 19 - July 7) aboard ORBIS International's signature Flying Eye Hospital – a state-of-the-art hospital with wings," notes its press release. The mission was supported by Alcon Inc., the global leader in eye care, and included a three-week ophthalmic skills exchange and surgical program through the one-of-a-kind DC-10 aircraft. This ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) Program marks its sixth mission in Mongolia.  Local eye care professionals of all disciplines attended an ORBIS skills transfer training course designed to address the country's eye health needs."  Read more.

"Jersey" Boy (Optician) Makes Good in Africa

"A Jersey optician [from the Isle of Jersey, not the state] has returned from Burkina Faso in Africa after helping to improve the eyesight of thousands of people there," according to ChannelOnline. "Dave Baker was one of 8 volunteers to go on a 2 week project organised by Vision Aid Overseas. The charity sends opticians to various countries in Africa to carry out eye tests and give out glasses. Altogether they saw 2552 people, supplied 2246 pairs of specs and arranged for 584 people to have sight saving surgery by a partner charity, Orbis."