Orbis flying hospital launches ophthalmic training in Binh Dinh

Running until June 9, the training course is part of a cooperation programme between Orbis International and Binh Dinh, with a view to turning the province into an eye disease treatment centre of the south central and Central Highlands regions, whose the blindness rates stand at 5.5 and 3.1 percent, respectively. 

According to Orbis Global Medical Director Jonathan Lord, the ophthalmic course focuses on hand-on practices from basic to advanced levels regarding the prevention and treatment of eye diseases.  

The training course is tailored for local ophthalmologists, nurses, anaesthesiologists, biomedical engineers and technicians through lectures, case discussions, observation, workshops and symposiums.

Orbis will also train the Binh Dinh General Hospital’s medical staff screening retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) – a disease in premature babies that can lead to permanent blindness and is on the rise in middle-income countries like Vietnam.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is the world's only airborne ophthalmic surgical and training facility, which Orbis uses to support developing countries in preventing blindness and protecting people’s eyesight.

In Vietnam, Orbis has implemented long-term projects since 2000. It helped form paediatric eye care centres in Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho and Binh Dinh.