Flying Eye Hospital Lands in Barbados

According to IAPB, there are over 1.1 million people afflicted with avoidable blindness in the Caribbean. Cataract remains the leading cause of blindness in the world and in the Caribbean, accounting for at least 50% of all blindness. Glaucoma is one of the most common irreversible eye diseases in the region.

According to the Barbados Eye Study in 1994, the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma in Afro-Caribbeans over 40 was among the highest in the world at 7%, with the majority (53%) of cases undetected. Glaucoma affects 1 in 11 Afro-Caribbeans over 50, and almost 1 in 6 of people over 70 years old.

The Flying Eye Hospital has a long history of working in the Caribbean since its inception in 1982. This is the 24th project in the Caribbean, and the first in Barbados. The focus of the two-week regional conference is to strengthen the skills eye health professionals from the Caribbean including Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, Haiti, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, focusing on cataract, glaucoma, strabismus and retina diseases.

From 2017 – 2020, our efforts have focused on building existing relationships, documenting solid results delivered in the projects, and expanding and scaling in countries where we have current projects, including Guyana, Peru and Bolivia. We will continue our strong regional partnerships with OSWI, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

Orbis also provides ongoing support to the annual OSWI conference, including speakers and funding of allied health and nursing workshops; collaborating on a pilot nursing initiative in Trinidad; and working closely with the residency directors at the University of the West Indies in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica.