Eritrea: The only African country Producing Intraocular Lenses
Posted: 10 Dec 2021, 21:37
Mereja.Forum
Eritrea: The only African country Producing Intraocular Lenses
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Re: Eritrea: The only African country Producing Intraocular Lenses
Posted: 10 Dec 2021, 22:42
The reason lies on two words: Fred Hollows!
Give credit where credit is due.
Fred Hollows, AC (9 April 1929 – 10 February 1993) was a New Zealand–Australian ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for thousands of people in Australia and many other countries. It is estimated that more than one million people in the world can see today because of initiatives instigated by Hollows, the most notable example being The Fred Hollows Foundation.
His visits to Nepal in 1985, Eritrea in 1987, and Vietnam in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery.[9][10] These experiences motivated him to find a way to reduce the cost of eye care and treatment in developing countries. Hollows organised intraocular lens laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$7.50) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.[11] Today, the factories have produced millions of lenses and are a continuing reminder of his enduring impact.
The Fred Hollows Foundation was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians. The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Programs in Eritrea
Through the relationship Fred forged with the Eritrean people, The Foundation has been able to continue working closely with the Ministry of Health over the years. Because of this, The Foundation is in a unique position to fully integrate its program into the country’s national blindness prevention strategy.
The Foundation works with the Eritrean Ministry of Health as well as the Asmara College of Health Sciences to build the capacity of Eritrean eye health systems so they can deliver high quality services.
With a particular focus on cataract and trachoma, The Foundation works to implement a comprehensive approach by supporting the delivery of eye health services, increasing community awareness and access to services, training eye health professionals and addressing the infrastructure needs.
WE’RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS
Thanks to some great work with our partners, we achieved a lot in some of our key strategic areas in 2019:
In-country programs
Screened 126,792 people
Performed 60,466 eye operations and treatments, including 8,028 cataract operations, 1,693 surgeries to treat trachoma, 283 diabetic retinopathy treatments and 50,462 other sight saving or improving interventions
Treated 91,611 people with antibiotics for trachoma
Distributed 1,514 pairs of glasses
Research, training and technology
Trained 1,339 people including 6 surgeons and 1,333 community health workers
Educated 69,536 school children and community members in eye health and sanitation
WHERE WE WORK
We believe in getting things done. In our mission to end avoidable blindness, we’re proud to say we now work in more than 25 countries and have restored sight to over two and a half million people.
Click on the below link to donate
https://www.hollows.org/au/donate
Give credit where credit is due.
Fred Hollows, AC (9 April 1929 – 10 February 1993) was a New Zealand–Australian ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for thousands of people in Australia and many other countries. It is estimated that more than one million people in the world can see today because of initiatives instigated by Hollows, the most notable example being The Fred Hollows Foundation.
His visits to Nepal in 1985, Eritrea in 1987, and Vietnam in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery.[9][10] These experiences motivated him to find a way to reduce the cost of eye care and treatment in developing countries. Hollows organised intraocular lens laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$7.50) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.[11] Today, the factories have produced millions of lenses and are a continuing reminder of his enduring impact.
The Fred Hollows Foundation was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians. The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Programs in Eritrea
Through the relationship Fred forged with the Eritrean people, The Foundation has been able to continue working closely with the Ministry of Health over the years. Because of this, The Foundation is in a unique position to fully integrate its program into the country’s national blindness prevention strategy.
The Foundation works with the Eritrean Ministry of Health as well as the Asmara College of Health Sciences to build the capacity of Eritrean eye health systems so they can deliver high quality services.
With a particular focus on cataract and trachoma, The Foundation works to implement a comprehensive approach by supporting the delivery of eye health services, increasing community awareness and access to services, training eye health professionals and addressing the infrastructure needs.
WE’RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS
Thanks to some great work with our partners, we achieved a lot in some of our key strategic areas in 2019:
In-country programs
Screened 126,792 people
Performed 60,466 eye operations and treatments, including 8,028 cataract operations, 1,693 surgeries to treat trachoma, 283 diabetic retinopathy treatments and 50,462 other sight saving or improving interventions
Treated 91,611 people with antibiotics for trachoma
Distributed 1,514 pairs of glasses
Research, training and technology
Trained 1,339 people including 6 surgeons and 1,333 community health workers
Educated 69,536 school children and community members in eye health and sanitation
WHERE WE WORK
We believe in getting things done. In our mission to end avoidable blindness, we’re proud to say we now work in more than 25 countries and have restored sight to over two and a half million people.
Click on the below link to donate
https://www.hollows.org/au/donate
Re: Eritrea: The only African country Producing Intraocular Lenses
Posted: 10 Dec 2021, 22:58
አታዮ ሻዕዉያ ሌንስ ግዛዕ ምዛዕ እላበልካ ልወያነና <<አይንርእይን እይና>> እይሎም ሀም ዝዘፍኑ ክትገብሮም እይኻ። ጁንታዋይ Sarcasm ኡንኳን ድሮ ምዝፋን ጀሚሩ እኒኦ። ዋይ ዋይ ዋይ ዋይ 
