This year, Orbis is celebrating 20 years of eye health development in Ethiopia, ensuring that people are able to access the eye care they deserve.
One of the biggest challenges Orbis faces is in tackling trachoma, a bacterial eye infection and one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide. If left untreated, trachoma develops into trachomatous triachiasis, which turns the eyelids inwards, meaning eyelashes scrape the eyeball, causing permanent scarring to the cornea.
44% of the world’s trachoma is found in Ethiopia. Almost 70 million people in Ethiopia live in areas needing mass drug administration and other interventions to address trachoma infections. Nearly 75% of surgeries for trachomatous trichiasis (a 20 minute routine operation) are carried out there.