Orbis Announces 3-Year Partnership with Hoya Vision Care
Eye care nonprofit Orbis International announced a renewed partnership with Hoya, which will commit its support over the next 3 years with a focus on helping school children get access to eye care in low- to middle-income countries, and on training eye care professionals around the world through Cybersight, Orbis’s telemedicine and e-learning platform.
Over the next 3 years, Hoya's contribution will enable Orbis to screen more than 500,000 children and provide more than 15,000 eyeglasses as part of the REACH (Refractive Error Among Children) program in India, according to a joint news release. REACH aims to reduce visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error among school-going children and provide a sustainable and scalable solution to a shortage of care for this issue. Orbis develops teams of ophthalmic personnel and supports them with digital and clinical equipment to perform screenings and provide spectacles. The teams also provide referrals for children who require further examination and treatment to an Orbis partner hospital or to the nearest vision center.
“A simple pair of spectacles is often all it takes to open a world of opportunities to someone,” said Dr. Rishi Raj Borah, Country Director, Orbis India. “Our partnership with Hoya Vision Care has been instrumental in bringing eye health services within children's reach and enabling them to realize their potential. We are excited to continue this partnership to further expand our outreach and impact, and touch many more lives over the next few years."
Hoya Vision Care will also work with Orbis to support vision centers in India, which make eye care accessible in rural communities. Vision centers are eye health clinics that are strategically located in communities that do not have easy access to other eye health facilities. Vision centers offer affordably priced care for low-income individuals, and free care for those who cannot pay. Hoya's support will directly impact four vision centers and the three partner hospitals associated with them. Hoya also plans to support further expansion of vision centers in the future.