StemCell Therapy

India is home to 472 million children. According to a study published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, out of 668 hospitals, only 192 (28.7 percent) reported that they provided pediatric eye care services a handful in a country as vast as India.

Primary and quality eye care is a necessity, and to make it accessible, Orbis International, a non-profit non-governmental organisation, started its saving initiative in India with its flagship Flying Eye Hospital. Orbis International was founded in 1982 in the United States. After running multiple Flying Eye Hospital programmes in Hyderabad and New Delhi, Orbis India established an office in New Delhi in 2000.

Orbis India launched India Childhood Blindness Initiative (ICBI) flagship programme in 2002. Its aims to ensure that Indias children across geographies have access to quality eye care for generations to come.

Dr Rishi Raj Borah has been an integral part of the Orbis journey for the last 12 years and has developed innovative, impactful, and sustainable home-grown eye care initiatives for millions of children in Indian and Nepalese communities. He is the Country Director of Orbis India.

Before working in the field of eye care, Dr Rishi worked with UNICEF, CORDAID and Don Bosco Institute. He is also a Board Member of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight India.

As part of Orbis Comprehensive Childhood Blindness Project, their partner, Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital (AJEH) conducts school screenings in some of Bihars districts. Several children with vision problems were identified and prescribed spectacles during the school screening in the village of Dariyapur.

In one of Dariyapurs schools where the screening was conducted, a girl named Rinky was identified to have poor vision. The AJEH team discovered that the 13-year-old had been suffering for the last two years.

Rinky

Her poor vision would also hinder her daily activities and despite being scolded in class for being unable to read, Rinky was largely unaware of her problems. Due to uncorrected refractive error, which was blurring her vision, Rinky would be uncomfortable while watching the television and identifying objects in low light conditions. She even had difficulties in seeing under bright light.

Rinky and her friends

The Orbis-AJEH team came to Rinkys rescue. They identify cases like Rinkys, while generating awareness for teachers in these schools. The team also actively engages with the parents of children who go on to get treatments done via the screenings.

Rinky was identified with myopia, which is the inability to see objects at a distance, and was prescribed with a pair of spectacles by the team.

Rinky in her classroom

Rinky was glad about wearing spectacles and soon realised that, like her friends, she was also able to see things clearly.

As of today, Orbis India has presence in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam.

Millions of childrens lives have been positively affected by programs similar to the one in Rinkys school. 33 Childrens Eye Centers (CEC) have been established across the country, which are supported and equipped with quality partners and teams.

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Read more from the original source:
Clear vision, many smiles: How a non-profit is helping children in India see better - YourStory

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