Himalayan Cataract Project E-News: September 2009Fall greetings from the Himalayan Cataract Project. Here you’ll find news of our latest international eye care activities, including:
- Participation in 2009 Millennium Promise Partners’ Meeting
- “Eagle Eyes” — New book for youth on eye care and family relationships, featuring the Himalayan Cataract Project in Ghana
- A partnership with ORBIS International to utilize Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology for training surgical teams from Africa
- An eye care intervention in Rwanda screens thousands
- SightLife global eye banking conference
Millennium Promise Second Annual Partners’ Meeting | | 
A map illustrating the Millenium Promise project. Click to see large image.
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Ruhiira Partners David Siriri, Science Coordinator, and Dr. John Okorio, Cluster Manager, at Millennium Promise Partners’ Meeting.
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CEO Job Heintz participated in the Millennium Promise Partners’ Meeting in New York this week, along with over 250 partners and invited guests, including the Presidents of Malawi, Senegal and Uganda. Supported by world leaders in science, business and government, Millennium Promise advances the global agenda to meet the basic needs of the world’s poorest people. The Millennium Villages Project is a core program of MP, and HCP is playing a crucial role in eye care assessment and interventions in 12 Villages in 10 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The village of Ruhiira, Uganda, where HCP managed an eye care intervention in 2008, was highlighted at the meeting with Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in attendance and the announcement of a new partnership with the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation which will support the work in Ruhiira the next five years. In September 2008, our efforts in Ruhiira led to over 5,700 examinations of villagers, 11% receiving reading glasses, 10% receiving antibiotics, 6% major surgery, 1% Vitamin A supplements. As David Siriri, MV Science Coordinator for Ruhiira, wrote: “this exercise had never happened before in Ruhiira and villagers are still in disbelief that they can receive such rare specialized treatment.”
More information at www.millenniumpromise.org HCP supporter publishes book for youth on eye care and family relationships, featuring HCP | | 
The cover of "Eagle Eyes"
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Long-time HCP supporter, friend and celebrated photographer, Dr. Michael S. Lewis, has just published “Eagle Eyes,” with Jacquelyn Mitchard, the New York Times best-selling author of “The Deep End of the Ocean.” A fascinating combination of photographs and storyline presents a perspective on our efforts not before addressed — from the eyes of the caretakers who bring family members to our care.
The book features the Himalayan Cataract Project, Dr. Geoffrey Tabin and KATH surgeon Dr. Seth Lartey.
For more information about the book and to purchase a copy, please visit Michael Lewis’ website at www.michaelslewismd.com HCP and ORBIS International announce partnership to train surgical teams from Africa in modern cataract surgeryTogether, HCP and ORBIS International are training surgical teams from Sub-Saharan Africa in modern micro-surgical cataract surgery. The first three teams are from Uganda (one team) and Nigeria (two teams), and they will train at the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in early 2010.
Training focuses on delivery of high volume, high quality, cataract surgery — a critical need in Sub-Saharan Africa where many countries have one ophthalmologist covering hundreds of thousands of population. This partnership builds upon Dr. Geoff Tabin’s involvement with ORBIS as volunteer faculty in Africa, providing cataract and corneal training. An eye care intervention in Rwanda screens thousands for eye disease | | 
Dr. Geoff Tabin screened eye patients of all ages recently in Rwanda. Photo: Ace Kvale
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HCP managed an eye care intervention in Mayange, Rwanda, in July in collaboration with HCP Fellow Dr. John Nkurikiye and Millennium Villages (MV). The village intervention was part of the HCP’s collaborative efforts with MV to carry out comprehensive eye care assessments in thirteen villages in Sub-Saharan Africa with the goal of assessing the impact and cost of community-based screening and treatment initiatives on the burden of avoidable blindness in the region.
Over 2,000 patients were screened and 122 sight-restoring cataract surgeries were provided. Further information and additional photos by Ace Kvale, are available on our website.
Read filmmaker Michael Brown’s blog about his experience in Rwanda with HCP. HCP Board Members and Fellow attend SightLife global eye banking conferenceHCP Board Members Dr. Matt Oliva and Dr. Geoff Tabin, as well as HCP Fellow Dr. John Nkurikiye, attended a conference on global eye banking at SightLife in Seattle. SightLife is one of the leading eye banks in the country and is leading an initiative to develop international eye banks, with partners such as the HCP.
Ten million people are bilaterally blind from corneal disease, which is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. SightLife is working to establish a supply of eye banks throughout the world, while HCP is working to train cornea specialists and develop a cornea infrastructure.
This synergistic relationship is having a positive effect on HCP training programs, as well as direct service. HCP cornea fellows now spend time at SightLife as part of their fellowship. Recently, Dr. Tilahun Kiros from Mekelle, Ethiopia, and Dr. John Nkurikiye from Kigali, Rwanda, both visited SightLife. In addition, Drs. Oliva and Tabin have both performed corneal transplant skills transfer workshops with fellows back in their home clinics with corneas from SightLife. Recently, Dr. Tabin and Dr. Nkurikiye performed 21 corneal transplants in Kigali, Rwanda. In November, Dr. Oliva and Dr. Kiros will do the same in Mekelle, Ethiopia. The Himalayan Cataract Project works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness through high quality ophthalmic care, education and the establishment of a world-class eye care infrastructure.
Please visit our Web site at www.cureblindness.org to keep up with the latest HCP news. There you will also find information on HCP’s finances, its founders, staff and board members, and ways that you can give the gift of sight.
Remember, through the Himalayan Cataract Project it takes a gift of only $20 to provide life-changing cataract surgery to someone struggling with blindness in the developing world. |
