Sompeta to Sinazongwe 50 years of commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness Dr. Santosh Moses Assistant 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 3 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 4 Operation Eyesight Universal WELL 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 Hospital Sompeta, 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

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