Flying eye hospital lands in Abu Dhabi

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• Orbis has performed more than 800,000 surgeries, 20 per cent of them conducted on children. More than 300,000 eye care professionals have been trained by the hospital.

Abu Dhabi:The success of surgeries conducted onboard an airplane is likely to be doubted by most people.
But over the last three decades, a charity initiative that conducts medical procedures on a specialised aircraft has restored the vision of thousands of people in developing countries by taking special operative procedures directly to the patient.

Known as the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital, the initiative involves a planeload of medical staff delivering both surgeries and ophthalmological training. It is operated by ORBIS International, a non-profit humanitarian organisation dedicated to providing eye care and preventing avoidable blindness.

As part of many of its tours to raise awareness and invite partnerships from medical professionals, the unique flying hospital is currently parked at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport. Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Ahmed Gomaa, the hospital’s medical director, said 800,000 surgeries have been performed since the initiative was launched in 1982.In numerous cases, blindness and visual impairment can be avoided, especially in cases when it is caused by lack of proper eye care and nutrition in developing cases. In fact, 20 per cent of all our patients have been children who have received eye care to restore their vision,” Dr Gomaa said.