International Projects

Linking People with Eyecare Worldwide

Prevention of Blindness Trust believes that, if we are to eliminate avoidable blindness and ensure that all visually impaired people are able to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other people, we need to influence the policies and practices of decision makers across the world. The POB Trust is acting as a driving force to raise global awareness of the need to prevent blindness in developing countries.
Therefore, apart from indigenous philanthropy, the POB Trust has conducted high volume cataract surgery in nine different countries through community based free eye camps that are the most effective means of bringing eye care to rural areas with poor health facilities. Patients are enrolled in these free camps, have their surgery performed, and return to their homes while the camp packs up and moves on to another site.
The POB Trust first of all identifies an eye camp site in the recipient country. A complete team of surgeons, and paramedics along with the equipment, consumables and medicines needed, go to the receiving country. The style of camps is adjusted to the topography, climate, and culture of each country.
The Trust established its first eye hospital in Dar Fore (Sudan). In this hospital, the Trust’s service delivery in prevention of blindness is usually based on the model which mainly focuses on making eye care accessible to as many people as possible. This model is best employed in the remote and deprived areas of Sudan, where there are insufficient eye care professionals and many of the poor cannot afford eye care from their small household budgets due to the high cost of services. It is in this setting that outreach can be used most effectively.
In the similar fashion, the POB Trust conducted a training workshop in Khartoum to train eye surgeons and nurses to work across the country.