Orbis International

History

Orbis was founded in 1982 with a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a number of private donors. The first Flying Eye Hospital was a Douglas DC-8-21 (N220RB) donated by United Airlines. In its first two years of operation, the Orbis DC-8 visited 24 countries and held programs emphasizing the hands-on transfer of surgical skills.

By the late 1980s, as replacement parts for the aging DC-8 became more difficult and expensive to obtain, it became clear that a newer, larger aircraft was needed. Funded by private donations, Orbis purchased its current DC-10 in 1992. The DC-10 contained twice the interior space of the original DC-8. After two years of conversion and renovation, it was placed in service in 1994, and the DC-8 was retired and donated to Datangshan museum near Beijing. That summer, the new Flying Eye Hospital took off on its inaugural mission to Beijing, China.

In 1998, Orbis embarked on a new path based on the strategy to strengthen the capacity of local partners in the developing world to prevent and treat blindness through full-time, ongoing in-country programs. These programs were designed to respond to the needs of individual ophthalmic communities and local eye care providers. Orbis selected the first initial five countries to work in year round based on need (magnitude of blindness), opportunity (local infrastructure and resources), and safety & stability to operate in-country.

Orbis launched its first permanent country program in Ethiopia. Country programs in Bangladesh, China, India and Vietnam soon followed. In 2010 Orbis established a country program office in South Africa. Permanent Orbis offices in these countries, run by local staff, develop and implement an array of multi-year projects to improve the quality and accessibility of eye care to residents, particularly in rural area and impoverished urban communities. In addition to permanent country offices, Orbis also engages in long-term program work in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean as well is in countries including Nepal, Zambia, and Burkina Faso.

On April 7, 2008, Orbis announced it would replace its current DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital with a DC-10 Series 30 freighter. United Airlines, with the support of FedEx, is donating the airplane to Orbis. The $2 million donation is based on the plane’s estimated value and is being funded equally by United and FedEx.

On August 8, 2011, FedEx announced that it would donate one of its DC-10-30s, retrofitted with the MD-10-30F upgrade, to Orbis to replace its DC-10-30F. The new MD-10 will feature a modular hospital suite, the first time these units will have been used on an aircraft.

In 2012, Orbis Celebrated its 30th Anniversary of Saving Sight Worldwide.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital

Orbis is well known for its "Flying Eye Hospital," an ophthalmic hospital and teaching facility located on board a MD-10 aircraft. The Flying Eye Hospital brings training to doctors and nurses in developing countries with little access to professional development and training. Classrooms, operating theatres and laser rooms are aboard the plane and the local medical personnel are able to watch live surgeries as well as simulations. 3D filming and broadcast facilities allow the local ophthalmic professionals to observe the live surgeries through the eyes of the surgeon. Surgeries can also be broadcast to additional classes outside of the aircraft, be it a local hospital or halfway across the world. Participants can ask questions via a two-way audio-visual system. Volunteer pilots donate their time and skills to fly the hospital to the various program sites.

In June 2016, Orbis revealed its third generation Flying Eye Hospital. The hospital is a converted McDonnell Douglas DC-10 donated by FedEx and can fly twice as long as its predecessor. It is similar to a land-based hospital and is outfitted with safety features such as a back-up generator and early alert monitoring systems. The hospital also has its own water treatment plant and air conditioning systems. It also houses a 46-seat classroom, sterilization room and operating room and uses 3D technology and live broadcast systems which allow local participants to observe surgeries while they are taking place.

Country Programs

In addition to the Flying Eye Hospital, Orbis operates long-term country programs and collaborates with local governments and organisations and push for eye care to be integrated into national health programs. It has also worked with local universities and healthcare institutions and manage a team of more than 400 medical volunteers from 29 countries to provide expert training to their local partners.

In each country, Orbis works with its local partner institutions to increase their capacity to provide comprehensive, affordable and sustainable eye care services over the long term. The programs include developing specialized hospital facilities, eye banks, patient and health care worker training, and prevention and treatment programs.

In 2015 alone, more than 30,000 medical professionals were trained and more than 2 million patients were examined either on board Flying Eye Hospital or at its partner institutions.

Cybersight

Cybersight is a telemedicine portal and connects a local practitioner in a developing country with an Orbis mentor. The Cybersight partner is able to consult a volunteer mentor team free of charge. The mentor can provide educational material and/or answer and discuss consult cases sent by partners. Since its launch, more than 10, 000 electronic cases have taken place. This allows for distance learning and discussion, and ensures that the local medical teams of the various program sites are able to benefit from Orbis' services even after the Flying Eye Hospital has left the site.

The cybersight website has a free electronic library of educational material and also provides basic ophthalmic materials, allows students to take tests and receive certificate of achievement.