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DEAR FRIENDS, Beginning with the launch of the Flying Eye Hospital nearly 40 years ago, Orbis has always been characterized by its pioneering spirit. Yet even for an organization with a track record full of creative solutions, 2019 stood out as a year of innovation and impact. This Annual Report presents highlights from a most extraordinary year that your support has made possible.
JOHN “BOB” RANCK President and CEO, Orbis International
You’ll see how we’re making a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tool available to doctors in communities of great need. It helps them swiftly detect common eye conditions so they can administer treatment and prevent vision loss. You’ll read about the Flying Eye Hospital’s first simulation-only training project and how it helped ophthalmology residents in Chile build their skills and confidence. You’ll learn about a scalable model we are piloting in Bangladesh to integrate eye care referral networks within diabetic care programs. For the 10 million Bangladeshis who are at risk for diabetic retinopathy—the world’s leading cause of blindness among working-age adults—this is truly life-changing. Like the Flying Eye Hospital, all of these innovations are helping us get sight-saving remedies to the people who need them most. They’re big ideas with big impact.
and see the blackboard at school, and it opens up her entire future. A cataract surgery that takes only minutes lets a farmer tend his fields and earn a living again. A dose of Zithromax can spare a mother the excruciating pain of blinding trachoma. I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how the gift of sight can change a person’s life forever, and I can tell you that the look on a child’s face when she sees her mother for the first time is reason enough to do what we do. But the impact of blindness prevention has ripple effects that extend far beyond the individual. On pages 10 and 11, you’ll see how our work contributes to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, leading to improved health and education, reduced inequality and better economic growth—for the individual, their community and even the world. It’s why Orbis’s tagline is Changing the Way the World Sees. Thank you for being a part of our mission.
Sincerely,
The Flying Eye Hospital itself visited five countries in 2019: Chile, as well as Ghana, Jamaica, Myanmar and Vietnam. Altogether, 69 surgeons and over 1,000 other medical professionals received training through these projects. When I think about the impact of these achievements, it’s overwhelming. A pair of glasses helps a child read her textbooks
Bob Ranck