Project African Vision

5-6 million adults and children are blind in sub-Saharan Africa 2.4 million of these people are blind from cataracts 80% of their blindness is treatable or preventable 200,000 children in English-speaking Africa are blind Source: World Health Organization

Objective: Decreasing the prevalence of treatable blindness in Africa, ultimately leading to its eradication. Locations/Dates: Phase 1: Sebeta, Ethiopia (completed in November 2004) Phase 2: TBD

Project Plan: We have performed and will continue to perform cataract surgeries on children and adults in rural locations. We also provide equipment and qualified ophthalmologists to teach local physicians the skills necessary to create a sustainable pediatric cataract surgery program.

Current: In Phase 1 of Project African Vision, our team completed 171 surgeries and 41 reparative yag laser procedures. This included 35 pediatric cases and 5 tumor resections. This was in addition to hundreds of patients provided with office visits and medical evaluations.

Our physicians also began training Ethiopian ophthalmologists in the use of a vitrector, a piece of equipment essential to pediatric cataract operations. The lack of vitrectors has hindered the success of pediatric cataract surgery in Ethiopia in the past. We are now obtaining a vitrector to send to Dr. Abonesh of the Menelik II hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The vitrector will be accompanied by a team of doctors to train her and her colleagues in its proper use. With this next step complete, we will create the first successful pediatric cataract surgery program in Ethiopia!

We are also working with Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) to negotiate the building of a clinic on the grounds of the Sebeta School for the Blind, from which many of our pediatric cases came during Phase 1. Under the current proposal, this clinic will support a temporary operating room for a future mission. Follow-up appointments for the patients treated during Phase 1 will be held at the clinic when it is finished.

For more information on Project African Vision, please contact Jenna Burka. If you are an attending, resident, or medical student and would like to participate, please fill out the appropriate application below. Viewing these documents requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Attending Application Resident Application Student Application

This project would not be possible without the generous support of our donors! Please visit our donations page if you would like to contribute.