We are always looking for ways to use the latest technology to help reach more people and improve the quality of our training. While the sector has been making good progress since the 1990s, reducing the prevalence of avoidable blindness from 4.58% to 3.37% in 2015, an aging global population and the risk of a diabetes explosion on the horizon global blindness is still set to triple by 2050. Using the latest technological advancements is one of the ways we can reverse this trend.
Here are some of the other ways we're using technology to help reach more people than ever before.
Cybersight
Cybersight is our award-winning telemedicine platform. Through Cybersight, our expert volunteers teach and support eye care teams around the world using the latest advancements in internet and mobile technologies. Cyberight increases our ability to provide training and support to medical professionals all around the world. With Cybersight, we can make an impact in places where a physical presence simply isn't possible due to cost, logistics or security.
Find out more here.
Flying Eye Hospital
The Flying Eye Hospital is not only packed with the latest medical equipment, it has some of the very latest training facilities, too. The entire plane is linked up through an advanced audio visual system, meaning those in the classroom can watch surgeries happening in the operating theater live in 3D - making it as close to the real thing as looking down the microscope yourself.
Find out more here.
Simulation Center
The simulation center on board the Flying Eye Hospital allows local eye teams to learn complex skills in a controlled environment before operating on patients. It breaks down a complex surgery into smaller parts allowing local doctors to focus on a certain skill—something you can’t do with a human eye.
REACHsoft
As part of our REACH model (Refractive Error Among Children) we developed REACHsoft. REACHSoft supports every step of the program: developing the school database, scheduling planning and delivering services, collecting data (primary screening, detailed examination, spectacle prescription and dispensing, referral management) as well as monitoring progress and generating reports to aid management of the program.