Orbis Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 4

Our old DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital before its final flight to the Pima Air & Space Museum. Vol. 2 Issue 4 Oct | Nov | Dec 2016

Orbis India publishes a quarterly newsletter spotlighting Orbis’ activities and events, latest news from partner institutions, upcoming events and inspiring stories along the Orbis journey.

We welcome you to browse, read and share this! From the Director’s Desk

2016 was an exceptionally good year for Orbis India. We launched nine new projects across the country addressing eye health challenges facing our communities. In keeping with our focus on children, we intensified our work on the issue of uncorrected refractive errors through our Refractive Error Among Children (REACH) Program. We also welcomed eight new members to our Orbis India family adding significantly to our internal capacity.

Other highlights from 2016 include development of Competency-Based Assessment Rubrics for optometry and related disciplines, launch of the Preferred Practices in Pediatric for India - a much awaited publication which is the collective work of Orbis and our partners, and inauguration of Vision Vans in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to deliver primary eye care to communities right at their door-step. It also gives us great joy to take forward initiatives such as our comics which are released every year on World Sight Day to make eye care more acceptable to children. Globally, we unveiled our much-awaited next-gen Flying Eye Hospital and welcomed our new President and CEO in addition to all the great work our colleagues do around the world.

As we usher in the new year, I’d like to thank our donors, partners, and my team for their invaluable contributions in making 2016 memorable and meaningful. On behalf of all of us here at Orbis, I wish you and your team a very happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year! May all of our dreams and aspirations come to fruition.

Dr. Rahul Ali Country Director - India Orbis International Annual Partners’ Meet 2016

The Partners’ Meet is an annual event which we and our partners greatly look forward to. In 2016 it was held in New Delhi. Mr. Anil Parasharami, an expert in KAIZEN and Lean who has over 20 years of experience implementing the same across organizations conducted sessions on improving ‘Institutional Quality through KAIZEN philosophy.’ Mr. Ravi from Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital and Dr. Suneeta Dubey from Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital further threw light on adopting the philosophy through their respective hospital case studies. On day two of the meet, all partners were urged to come up with ideas to implement KAIZEN in their institutions. This was followed by sessions on the India Childhood Blindness Initiative network and recent initiatives by the Orbis team. #SPECTACLES ARE BEAUTIFUL – A unique campaign to encourage children to wear glasses

It is with great pleasure that we introduce Orbis’ one of a kind campaign to remove stigma around wearing glasses, especially among girl children. The campaign, was kick started on the eve of Children’s Day at the popular Raahgiri event in Connaught Place. We received an overwhelming response at our photo booth where children and young people gathered in huge numbers. Some children also shared their stories of being teased for wearing glasses. The event was organized in association with Qatar Creating Vision and VISION 2020: The Right to Sight India. With efforts such as this, we hope we will be able to – slowly but surely – eliminate the stigma of wearing spectacles and make people realize that spectacles are indeed beautiful.

Preferred Practices in Pediatric Ophthalmology for India launched at AAPOS- SPOSI conference

We launched our much-awaited publication, Preferred Practices in Pediatric Ophthalmology for India at the Intercontinental Perspective of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus - a Joint Conference organized by American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmological Society of India (SPOSI) in December 2016. The book is our effort to consolidate the knowledge and practices of our partners. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to Dr. T.S. Surendran, the Sankara Nethralaya team and all other contributors in making this publication possible. At the conference, Orbis also hosted a symposium, Pediatric Ophthalmology Practice and Teaching in the Developing World and set up a booth to display and distribute our resources. C.L. Gupta’s work in Moradabad showcased overseas

Valerie Kleeman, Jane Ray and Robert Pyburn from Whicker's World Foundation visited C.L. Gupta Eye Institute (CLGEI) in Moradabad to capture the Vision Van in action. Known to make impactful documentaries, the foundation’s crew followed children in their journey through examination, surgery and post-operative care. The documentaries also captured primary and secondary school screening camps which included the Vision Van’s visit to a school in Moradabad where kids were screened, prescribed and provided spectacles. Stories and footages from their visit were aired on BBC Channel Islands and Newsround as well as Jeugdjournal, the Dutch version of Newsround.

We thank Alan Whicker and the Whicker’s World Foundation for generously supporting CLGEI with the Vision Van. Vision Van at Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre launched

The Vision Van at Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre, Kolkata was inaugurated in November 2016 by Mr. Richard Y.S. Chiu, Deputy Ambassador, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in India in the presence of Mr. Peter Sun, Assistant Representative, TECC in India, Dr. Rahul Ali, Country Director – India, Orbis International and Dr. R.C. Paul, renowned eye surgeon and Secretary of Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre. The van is essentially designed with an aim to serve the patients in remote areas and serve as a tool for generating eye health awareness. New round of Orbis comics launched on World Sight Day

On World Sight Day, we launched our second edition of Orbis comics. The maiden edition received a very warm welcome amongst kids and we have worked with Diamond Comics again to continue making eye care fun and entertaining for children. At the VISION 2020 Seminar on “Stronger Together” held in Hyderabad, the comics were launched by Dr. Promila Gupta, Deputy Director General (O), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. At the event she lauded the initiative saying that comics are a fun and innovative way to reach out to children and educate them about eye health. The comics are currently available in English, Hindi and Bengali. Compliance in Financial Practice - Orbis’ first ever finance meet for its partners

Orbis conducted its first ever Finance Meet with the theme ‘Compliance in Financial Practice: A paradigm shift in approach – from Reactive to Proactive’ in December 2016. The two-day event saw Mr. George Koshi, a well-established Chartered Accountant, explain The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, a noted Chartered Accountant as well, further conducted an engaging session on ‘Recent Changes in Income Tax, Service Tax, and Societies Registration Act.’ We received a very positive response from our partners and hope to hold more such sessions in the future. Orbis awarded for its work towards eliminating Childhood Blindness

The Sadguru Award was conferred upon Orbis India by Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya (SNC), Chitrakoot at a conference on Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus titled ‘Sadguru Conclave – CONVERGENCE 2016.’ The award was in recognition of Orbis’ contribution in the field of childhood blindness and development of pediatric ophthalmology as a distinct sub-specialty in the Indian ophthalmology landscape. The conclave was organized in collaboration with American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS). Around 300 delegates including national and international participants were in attendance. The conference also had interactive case discussions, video-assisted skill transfer and a quiz session. Look who visited the Orbis India office Mr. Charles Carlson, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, Doha and Mr. Paul Paterson, Qatar British Business Forum visited the India office along with Emma Bye from Orbis UK. They travelled to partner locations - Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya, Chitrakoot and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital’s facility in Vrindavan to see our work in action. Geoff Bugbee, Visual Communications Consultant and Silvana Vivas, Communications Associate visited H V Desai Eye Hospital, Pune and Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya, Chitrakoot to document patient stories while Kristie DeKoker, Director - Major Gifts from our New York office visited us and travelled to Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Bihar and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi to see our work in the community. Stories along the Orbis journey!

During a school screening camp conducted by Sankara Nethralaya, an Orbis partner hospital, Vinston was identified with congenital cataract. Upon speaking with the family, we understood that the nine-year- old was facing a gradual reduction in vision for the past two years in both the eyes. Vinston was a high performing student and was among the top three rank holders in class. What appalled his parents was that he failed in all subjects in the recent past. After he underwent surgery, as advised by the doctor, Vinston regained his vision. What did Vinston have to say? “I’m really happy to have my vision back. I think I can read well and also be like my friends.” Treated by Dr. Sumita Agarkar of Sankara Nethralaya, Vinston found much inspiration from her. “I love my doctor and I want to become like her.” says Vinston. Soon after, the little boy and his parents expressed great delight at his ability to study at the same capacity as he did before. The fourth grader was extremely glad to be able to go out and play again. Upcoming events

January 11 – 13, 2017 8th International Course on Ophthalmic and Oculoplastic Reconstruction and Trauma Surgery, Vienna, Austria

February 04, 2017 19th Rotterdam Glaucoma Symposium, Holland, Netherlands

February 05 – 08, 2017 Bridging disciplines and disparities: Connecting eye research with health outcomes, Brisbane, Australia

February 10 – 12, 2017 21st European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Winter Meeting 2017 (ESCRS 2017), Maastricht Netherlands

February 16 – 19, 2017 75th Annual Conference of All India Ophthalmological Society Conference, Jaipur, India

March 01 – 05, 2017

32nd Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress (APAO),

March 15 – 16, 2017

9th Global Ophthalmology Summit, , UK

March 20 – 21, 2017

Ninth Ocular Diseases Drug Discovery Conference, San Diego, California

Upcoming events

March 23 – 25, 2017 4th Evolving Practice of Ophthalmology Middle East Conference 2017, Dubai

March 24 – 25, 2017 2nd Retina and Glaucoma Symposium, Lodz, Poland

April 02 – 06, 2017 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee

May 05 – 09, 2017 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Los Angeles, California

May 07 – 11, 2017 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Baltimore, Maryland

June 01 – 03, 2017 30th Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS) Annual Meeting, Hangzhou,

June 05 – 06, 2017 2nd Global Pediatric Ophthalmology Congress, Milan, Italy

June 28 – July 01, 2017 7th World Glaucoma Congress, Helsinki, Finland Orbis International Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of blindness India Country Office, for over 30 years. Orbis transforms lives by providing the skills, 6th Floor, Fortune Tower II, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality Plot No. 406, Udyog Vihar Phase III, eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, Orbis Gurgaon, Haryana - 122016, India provides hands-on training, strengthens eye care infrastructure and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public Tel: 91-124-4284601 health agendas. In India, the focus is specially on children, where Orbis has established the world’s largest network of Fax: 91-124-4284602 Children’s Eye Centers: 31 centers across 17 states. Email: [email protected]

When we can see, it can be easy to take our vision for granted. But giving vision to someone who doesn’t have it is life- changing. And we change lives!