Redda Tekle-Haimanot and Tarik Taye on behalf of Girarbet Tehadiso Mahber, Ethiopia

 

Aim

Providing refractive error service for children and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) surgery outreach program at school and community level.

 

The project

Uncorrected refractive errors and trachomatous are the main causes of visual impairment in Ethiopia. However, there are still vast areas where people lack basic access to eye care service.

The total number of ophthalmologists in the country are only 129 and most of them are in the capital city, Addis Ababa. The majority, 85% of the population (in total 102 million), are scattered in the remote, often hard to reach area and have low access to eye care service. This service needs to be supported by outreach program to provide the project objectives.

GTM has more than 20 years' experience in eye care service provision and has its own eye care center and eye care professionals (three optometrists, two ophthalmic nurses and other supportive staff). The project will benefit 44,000 people where 12,000 children, 2,000 adults and 30,000 people through health education per two years.