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.