Orbis Flying Eye Hospital Begins Training in China

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) is visiting Jinan for the second time to conduct training and skills exchange program aimed at strengthening ophthalmic services in Shandong Province.

Alongside its sponsor, Alcon, the global provider of eye care, the Orbis program will focus on providing intense training in the areas of cataract, glaucoma, medical and surgical retina.

China accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s blind and out of the estimated 1 million children suffering from blindness in Asia, approximately 400,000 live in China.

To address the growing need for pediatric eye care in the country and in support of the long-term Orbis pediatric project in the region, the FEH program will also offer intense subspecialty training in pediatric strabismus.

“Orbis has had a long history of working in China and our training programs have helped improve the quality of ophthalmic services and raise awareness around eye care conditions throughout the country,” said Dr. Ahmed Gomaa, the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital medical director.

In partnership with the Shandong Red Cross Eye Hospital and Shandong Medical College, the program will provide Chinese eye care professionals including optometrists, nurses, anesthesiologists and biomedical engineers with continued medical education through workshop, lectures and hands-on training.

Alcon biomedical engineers volunteer their time on Orbis programs to provide technical assistance by working side-by-side with local technicians and share their skills on managing and maintaining the ophthalmic equipment.