subject: ORBIS International Eliminate Avoidable Blindness in Developing Countries [print this page] ORBIS International Eliminate Avoidable Blindness in Developing Countries
The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital is literally a hospital with wings that brings together dedicated eye care professionals and aviators to give the gift of sight to developing countries around the world.
The history of ORBIS International begins in the 1970s with Dr. David Paton, head of the ophthalmology department at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, and his concerns over the state of eye care services and ophthalmic instruction in developing countries.
Dr. Paton had traveled extensively throughout the developing world as a visiting faculty member. During that time he had observed that the high costs of tuition, international travel, and accommodations prevented most doctors and nurses in those countries from participating in overseas training programs. Even when they could afford to study abroad, their opportunity for direct clinical experience was limited because strict licensing laws often prevented them from performing surgery.
Dr. Paton's solution was a mobile teaching hospital. With a fully equipped airplane, doctors trained in the latest ophthalmic techniques, including pediatric ophthalmology, could bring their surgical knowledge and skills to doctors in developing countries through hands-on training and lectures.
Today in the 48-seat classroom at the front of the plane, doctors gather for lectures, discussions and live broadcasts of surgical procedures being performed nearby in the Flying Eye Hospital operating room. If needed, surgeries can also be broadcast to an additional classroom outside the aircraft, for instance, at a nearby hospital. Large numbers of trainees observe the surgeries and ask questions of the operating surgeons via a two-way audio-visual system.
Prior to the start of a Flying Eye Hospital visit, local doctors pre-select patients whose conditions are relevant to that program's specialties. Selected patients are then screened by ORBIS volunteer faculty members at the program site. Priority is given to children, individuals who are bilaterally blind, cannot afford to have the surgery otherwise, and represent good teaching cases. Local doctors maintain oversight of patients before, during and after surgery.
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