The Incredible Women Transforming Eye Care in Zambia

With a large blind population and high rates of childhood blindness, Zambia needs a strong eye health system. We've been collaborating with our partners in Zambia to transform the quality of eye care and combat avoidable blindness for over a decade.

Despite Zambia’s huge population and a severe shortage of trained eye health professionals to meet eye care demands, Orbis and our partners have made an enormous impact already. In 2021 alone, 51,000 people were screened, 1,700 received surgery, and 85,000 accessed eye care services, despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with this incredible progress, Zambia's eye health system also boasts a unique statistic. Unlike most parts of the world, Zambia actually has more women ophthalmologists than men.

To acknowledge and celebrate this fact, we wanted to introduce you to just some of the country's dedicated, compassionate and highly skilled women ophthalmologists who are saving sight and transforming hundreds of lives each and every day. We'll also share their advice for other young women considering a career in ophthalmology.

Meet Dr. Phiri, a Consultant Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon (a surgeon who treats problems at the back of the eye involving the retina, macula, and vitreous fluid) at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH)-Eye Hospital in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. Her unique set of skills makes her the only surgeon of her kind in all of Zambia!

After graduating with her Master of Medicine in Ophthalmology and training at the University of Nairobi, Dr. Phiri pursued a sub-specialty in vitreo-retinal surgery.

She was drawn to the sub-specialty upon seeing so many people with retinal detachment losing their sight forever because there were no vitreo-retinal specialists in the country. At the time, all cases were being referred to India by the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Phiri trained in India and Tanzania, taking on 153 cases before graduating to be the first female vitreo-retinal surgeon in the country. Dr. Phiri pointed out that there are biases against women in careers or fields that are male-dominated.

Her desire is to raise the profile of vitreo-retinal surgery in Zambia so that more people can have the procedure done locally. She is also a founding Fellow of the Zambia Colleges of Medicine and Surgery and is actively involved in a specialist training program directly under the Ministry of Health.

According to her philosophy, an educated woman will ensure her children are educated as well, which is why it is imperative to educate and empower women as, ultimately, an entire nation gets educated this way.

Annie is an enrolled nurse working at a Dental and Eye Clinic. Although she is not trained in ophthalmology, she is trained in primary health care and able to screen and diagnose eye conditions, as well as conduct a few minor surgeries.

The hard-working single mother, who has worked at the clinic for 11 years, now plans to transition from enrolled nursing to registered nursing where she will eventually study ophthalmology, which she admires because of the almost instant results.

Annie says if you have a passion to serve people, consider ophthalmology. She advised: “Take the course because you enjoy it and not because you have been forced to.”

She is also a big believer in gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. Prioritizing equity across all sectors means building a more sustainable future for everyone in society. Annie added: “I am a single mother of two who is proud to be able to provide for them because I can do what a man can.”

After receiving Orbis training, as well as our support establishing and growing the eye center where she works, Bwalya is now an Ophthalmic Clinical Officer at Masaiti District Hospital.

Bwalya, who screens eye conditions like cataracts and refractive error on a daily basis, shared: “I liked ophthalmology from the word ‘go’ while working as a general clinical officer. When I was screening general patients, I used to come across eye conditions which I couldn’t treat so the hospital would refer patients to Kitwe or Ndola. Some of our clients could not manage to go to those towns and, in the process, would go blind.”

Bwalya’s passion for her community is what makes her want to make a difference. When she looked at the number of cases of people who went blind, she was inspired to train in ophthalmology and become an ophthalmic clinical officer. It took her two years to train and qualify.

Thanks to the collaboration between Masaiti District Hospital and Orbis, which is also equipping the eye center and providing outreach to remote patients, there is no need to travel as far to Kitwe and Ndola for sight-saving treatment.

Bwalya aspirations and compassion for eye care do not stop there! She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Science in ophthalmology to add to her advanced diploma and has even encouraged two people in her department to study ophthalmology. When she considers her contribution to the field, she feels she is inspiring others, particularly young women.

Foster is a registered Ophthalmic Nurse based at the Chingola District Dental and Eye Clinic. Her interest in learning about the eye and its main functions first began because she and six family members all wear glasses due to a genetic allergy condition.

Foster gets real job satisfaction watching the relief and joy on the face of someone who did not know they had a correctable eye condition.

Foster explained that the eye is a window, and if one is unable to see, it can affect the quality of their life. Sometimes this might mean a person has to stop working or switch careers against their will. She is also grateful for the opportunity to meet people of varying ages because of ophthalmology, and the excitement she observes across all age groups is an experience that never gets old with her.

When asked about breaking gender bias in eye health, she shared: “Breaking the bias for me is about women not limiting themselves and proving that they can deliver in any career of their choice, just like the menfolk.”

For Foster, empowering women means empowering families, communities, and nations. “When I look at where I am today in ophthalmology and where I was previously, I realize that I have experienced growth and I am now able to share knowledge with others.”

To young women and girls thinking about following pursuing a career in ophthalmology, Foster says the most important thing is to follow one’s heart. She ended: “Sight is a gift for all, and if you love what you do, it will work to your advantage, even when you have difficulty."

When Dr. Mutati began studying ophthalmology over 20 years ago, she had to go further afield and study in the United Kingdom as there was no local training for ophthalmologists in Zambia at the time.

As an ophthalmology consultant and the former head of the UTH-Eye Hospital, various factors attracted her to the field. She had studied medicine, which for her was hectic, requiring a lot of sacrifice as she sought to balance having a career with being a wife and mother.

She shared: “I needed to choose a field that would allow me to live a life as a family person and be professional, so I found ophthalmology was that field. I tried other fields like radiology, but I missed the doctor-patient contact, so I went back to ophthalmology and decided to specialize in that.”

Drawn to the uniqueness of the field where doctors and ophthalmic personnel in general sometimes see the results of their efforts instantly, she found it particularly fulfilling.

She was instrumental in advocating with NGOs and the government to provide ophthalmic training in Zambia by championing the development of a curriculum and the establishment of a master’s program in ophthalmology in the country for the first time. The program began in 2011 with only five candidates, and now there are over 50 locally trained ophthalmologists. She also participated in the development of ophthalmology curricula at the regional level and as an examiner of candidates from the region of East and Southern Africa.

When asked about her views on gender bias, she said: “I feel there are a number of factors that fuel bias, and one of them is the mindset. As women, if we can convince ourselves that we are just as good as men, things would be different. The perceptions and traditional views of what a woman can and cannot do further cause this bias.”

Below are some more wonderful women dedicated to ensuring healthy vision and breaking gender stereotypes in Zambia.

We hope you enjoyed reading the inspiring stories of the incredible women dedicated to saving sight and changing countless lives in Zambia.

For over a decade, your kindness and the support of our committed partners have enabled us to train eye health professionals in the country and successfully deliver long-term projects that strengthen the quality of eye care in the country.

While we have made great progress, there is still a shortage of trained ophthalmologists and eye care teams to meet rising eye care demands, as well as a lack of access to quality care, especially in isolated communities.

But your continued support means so much to us because, with it, we can reach even more people in Zambia with the best possible eye care.

As always, a huge thank you for standing with us in our fight against avoidable blindness.