Sompeta to Sinazongwe50 years of commitment
to eliminating avoidable blindness
Dr. Santosh MosesAssistant Director – Eye Health
Operation Eyesight Universal
Beginnings Inspired by Dr. Ben Gullison, a Canadian doctor
Founded in 1963 by Art Jenkyns, a Calgary businessman
First program partner: Arogyavaram Eye Hospital, Andhra Pradesh
Original focus: cataract elimination in developing countries
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Operation Eyesight Universal
BEN GULLISON
ART JENKYNS
Today’s focus Building health systems
Addressing root causes of blindness
Promoting people’s participation
Ensuring quality and sustainability
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Operation Eyesight UniversalWELL DRILLING, SINAZONGWE
Places of great need, but also where we can make the greatest difference;
…where we can address the root causes of avoidable blindness
…where governments show a concern for and commitment to improving the health of their citizens
India and Africa
Hospital based community eye health
Building the capacity of hospital partners
Training and professional development
SAFE strategy to address trachoma
Our priority initiatives
Success is a journey, not the destination
Hospital-based community eye Health projects in India
• support the communities to eliminate avoidable blindness from within
Water and sanitation projects in Africa
• going beyond winning the fight against trachoma
Success along the way
Arogyavaram Eye HospitalSompeta, Andhra Pradesh, India
Partnership since 1963
Operationally sustainable
Screens over 65,000 and treats over 10,000 annually
Surgical conversion rate of 85%
Spectacle conversion rate of 90%
Cluster-based plans to eliminate avoidable blindness from 3 blocks in the next 2 years
Today
31 similar projects in India
Sinazongwe Trachoma Project 80% of households struggle with poor
sanitation and lack of clean water Current trachoma reduction project
employs the full SAFE strategy OE has provided 60 wells, government of
Zambia contributes drilling, equipping and monitoring expertise
Villagers maintain the wells once operational
Latrine coverage improved from 17% to 33%
Benefits of abundant clean water go beyond eye health
Today
● Sinazongwe
Strengthen linkages between primary eye care and primary health care services
Improve surgical outcomes to meet international standards
Support hospitals to become financially sustainable
Strengthen people’s participation and promote effective and enduring relationships between hospitals and target communities
Leading to: Reduction in avoidable blindness Improvements in overall health of communities
The way forward
Thank you