Alcon Celebrates One Year Of Advancing Eye Care Through Its Phaco Development Program In Africa
- Developed in partnership with ORBIS International, the program aims to unlock Africa’s vision-enhancing potential by addressing the critical issue of cataract-related vision loss
Alcon, a global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brighter, today celebrates the first anniversary of its Phacoemulsification Development Program (PD) in Africa. This milestone reflects the program’s significant achievements in South Africa, Kenya and Zambia, with plans for further regional expansion. Alcon remains committed to the principle of “Skills Africa, Africa, Africa” to continuously enhance healthcare capabilities and improve access to eye care across the continent.
According to the World Health Organization1More than 110 million people in Africa suffer from visual impairment, of which 6.7 million have cataracts. Major influencing factors include limited access to quality healthcare, lack of trained eye care professionals, and various socioeconomic challenges. As a result, there continues to be a massive backlog in cataract surgeries, putting millions of people at risk of preventable blindness.
Jan Landman, Alcon country manager and head of surgery, said: “Sadly, one in six blind people live in Africa, and millions of others are living with some degree of blindness. combating visual impairment. Alcon’s commitment to addressing these challenges is core to the Africa PD Program’s mission. Our goal is to change that narrative by improving health care capacity in Africa through action-oriented collaboration and training.
“Staying true to our mission, our Africa PD program trained 61 eye care professionals in the past year. Our goal is to train more than 450 individuals by 2029 and serve patients across the region. Through the program By expanding to other countries and through targeted collaborations with ORBIS International, we are working to have a sustainable impact on eye care across the continent,” he added.
“This project is a perfect example of what happens when people come together. It highlights the real impact of action-oriented partnerships. At Orbis International, we recognize that no one organization can solve the challenges facing eye care across Africa urgent challenges. Only by working together – leveraging expertise, resources and a shared vision – can we effectively meet the needs of the millions of people living with preventable blindness across the continent,” Orbis Vice President, Clinical Services and Technology. said President Dr. Hunter Cherwek. international.
Since its launch in 2008, Alcon’s phacoemulsification development program has provided training to more than 6,900 surgeons in core and advanced phacoemulsification technologies and is expected to be used in countries such as China, India, Russia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India. More than 11 million vision-restoring surgeries have been performed. and South Africa. Through these efforts, Alcon works to improve access to quality eye care, strengthen local health care systems and make a lasting difference in the fight against blindness.
