NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbis, a leading
global non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to eliminate
avoidable blindness, in cooperation with longtime global sponsor
FedEx, is bringing the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) back to
Trujillo, Peru for a two-week
intensive ophthalmic skills exchange program aimed at strengthening
subspecialty training of the ophthalmic community throughout the La
Libertad region.
In conjunction with Orbis's partner, Instituto Regional de
Oftalmologia (IRO) and with support from the La Libertad Regional
Ministry of Health, the program will focus on enhancing skills and
knowledge within the subspecialty areas of cataract, glaucoma,
medical and surgical retina, corneal diseases, oculoplastics and
pediatric strabismus.
"Orbis has been working with IRO -Trujillo, Peru for the past 12 years to improve the
quality of ophthalmic services through our long-term programs and
regular training initiatives on the FEH," said Dr. Ahmed Gomaa, Medical Director, Orbis Flying Eye
Hospital. "As part of this long-term program, this is the
fourth visit by the FEH to Trujillo and we are grateful to our
longtime sponsor, FedEx, for helping to make this possible."
"As the global sponsor for more than 30 years, FedEx continues
to support Orbis's global mission to eliminate avoidable blindness
in the developing world and the Orbis FEH Program in Trujillo is
one of the ways in the past few years that FedEx has provided
additional support," said Julio C.
Barrionuevo, Senior Vice President of Operations, FedEx
Express Latin America and Caribbean Division. "Supporting programs
that address the needs of local communities is a vital component of
the FedEx long-term commitment to Orbis."
Orbis has partnered with IRO for 12 years building the
Institute's capacity as a regional training, referral and high
quality treatment facility.
"The FEH program compliments our long-term program objectives in
the region," explains Joan McLeod-Omawale, Regional Director,
Orbis Latin America and Caribbean. "We have recently launched the next
phase of our Diabetic Retinopathy initiative and are excited to use
the FEH visit to raise public awareness. The message is clear: if
diagnosed with diabetes it is essential to get an annual eye exam.
Early detection is the key to treating and avoiding irreversible
blindness."
Dr. Patricia Chirinos, a FedEx
Fellow who recently completed a two-year Cornea fellowship in
Mexico, will be among the local
doctors involved in the FEH hands-on training program. The FedEx
Fellows program was initiated in 2006 as part of the FedEx global
initiative to combat avoidable blindness. It has sponsored
fellowship training to promising ophthalmologists from Orbis
programs around the world. To date, three doctors from Peru have been awarded FedEx Fellowships as
well as ophthalmologists from China, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the
Philippines and Vietnam.
About Prevention of Blindness Worldwide
On a global
scale, 285 million people are visually impaired. An estimated 80
percent of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured.
Approximately 90 percent of all visually impaired people live in
developing countries.
About Orbis
Orbis is a nonprofit humanitarian
organization that prevents and treats blindness through hands-on
training, public health education, improved access to quality eye
care, advocacy and partnerships with local health care
organizations. By building long-term capabilities, Orbis helps its
partner institutions take action to reach a state where they can
provide, on their own, quality eye care services that are
affordable, accessible, and sustainable. To learn more about
Orbis, please visit www.orbis.org.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide
with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business
services. With annual revenues of $46
billion, the company offers integrated business applications
through operating companies competing collectively and managed
collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently
ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx
inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain "absolutely,
positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional
standards and the needs of their customers and
communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.
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Learn more about Orbis.
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SOURCE Orbis