ORBIS plans to conduct simple eye surgeries in remote regions of Ethiopia, in the hope to cure thousands of people suffering from the painful, blinding, and life-destroying eye disease - trachoma.
Trachoma is an infectious eye disease, which continues to bring pain, blindness,and poverty to millions across the developing world.Trachoma is prevalent in Ethiopia and out of the two million people living in the Gamo Gofa region, approximately 34,000 people are suffering with trachoma and are in need of immediate surgical intervention.Unless treated, these young people will become blind,rendering them helpless,leaving them to a lifetime of feeling like a burden to their families and community.
In particularly remote areas of the Gamo Gofa region, there are currently little or no eye care facilities, yet a simple surgery is the sight-saving answer for thousands of affected Ethiopians. With effective surgery, someone's suffering could be over in a matter of hours.
The outreach program will visit a region with a population of 6,000 and during the program, more than 1,000 people will be screened for trachoma and more than 120 surgeries will be conducted - relieving pain, restoring vision and transforming lives.
