Lightmed and Mexico’s Leading Pediatric Hospitals Partner in Childhood Blindness Prevention

Lightmed Corp. announced the successful installation and support of 34 LIGHTLas 810 photocoagulator lasers across 32 Mexican states. Mexico’s Ministry of Health initially purchased 18 Lightmed lasers to be placed in areas with the most urgent need. Soon after, they ordered an additional 16 units to further reach pediatric and maternity hospitals and clinics across Mexico.

“Through the incredible work of many pediatric ophthalmologists, we are so proud to see firsthand the difference our lasers are making on the youngest lives in Mexico. Looking ahead, we hope to expand the reach of our LIGHTLas 810 lasers so children worldwide can escape vision loss. Being able to see is a gift, and we are humbled that we have the opportunity to take part in promoting Mexico’s childhood blindness prevention efforts,” Gary Lee, CEO of Lightmed, said in a company news release.

Approximately 32,000 premature babies worldwide become blind or develop severe vision loss annually due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of preventable blindness in children. ROP makes abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina, but with early detection, screening and treatment, blindness can be prevented.

The team of pediatric ophthalmologists in Mexico work in various hospitals that maintain an “open doors” policy, offering training and treatment to virtually anyone who needs help. These doctors are dedicated to transferring their knowledge about ROP, and how to treat it, to as many doctors globally as possible.

“We are working to set up a network of blindness prevention reference centers. Now that we have Lightmed lasers throughout Mexico, we can focus our efforts on training doctors, ultimately giving more babies the chance to be treated,” said Dr. Consuelo Zepeda, Chief Pediatric Ophthalmologist for the ROP Clinic at Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Mexico.

Dr. Marco A. Ramirez, Department of Ophthalmology Chief at Hospital Infantil de México, added, “Lightmed is a perfect example of how a technology company can work alongside ophthalmologists with one common objective: to provide the best eye care for patients. In the past 1.5 years partnering with Lightmed and using their LIGHTLas 810 laser, I can say that their lasers are affordable without compromising on quality, and the company has consistently delivered excellent service.”

Every year, an estimated 500-1,000 premature babies in Mexico develop late stage ROP due to lack of parent education, screening and treatment. With Mexico’s ROP blindness prevention plan in place, the team expects to decrease this number as close as possible to zero over the next ten years.