Developing a Cadre of Trained Eye Health Professionals

Towards this, Orbis is constantly enabling development through both virtual and hands – on training programs with expert faculty members with diverse areas of expertise.

In September 2022, Hospital Based Trainings (HBTs) were conducted at three Orbis partner hospitals - PBMA’s H.V. Desai Hospital (HVDEH), Pune, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi, and Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital (AJEH), Saran, Bihar. The HBTs were aimed at strengthening the capacities of eye health professionals in surgical and clinical skills.

The HBT on glaucoma was conducted at H.V. Desai Eye Hospital in Pune from September 10 – September 15, 2022. This HBT primarily focused on surgical skills on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgeries (MIGS). Dr. Suneeta Dubey, Head, Glaucoma Services, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi was the Volunteer Faculty (VF) for this HBT. The training was conducted under guidance of Dr. Vidya Chelerkar, Head of Glaucoma Department, HVDEH. This HBT introduced the trainees to the advancement in Glaucoma - Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery. As part of the HBT, a Continuous Medical Education (CME) was conducted on MIGS and was attended by 94 participants. During the CME, Dr. Bruce James from St. Thomas Hospital London delivered an interesting talk on ‘Deciding the Best Treatment Protocol for Early to Moderate Glaucoma’. Dr. Suneeta Dubey talked about ‘Tips and Tricks for MIGS’, followed by a highly interactive panel discussion.

Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital organized a HBT program in Glaucoma (AADI Implant) from September 19 – 23, 2022, with Dr. George V Puthuran, Head, Glaucoma Services, Aravind Eye Institute as the VF. A wet lab training session and hands-on training on artificial eye were also conducted. This was supported by interactive discussions of interesting cases by the fellows.

HBT on Pediatric Strabismus was conducted from September 26 – 30, 2022 at Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Bihar. This was a multi-disciplinary training for Ophthalmology and Nursing sub-specialties. Dr. Suma Ganesh, Deputy Medical Director, Chairperson and Head of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital and Mithlesh Jaiswal, OT Technician from Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital led the training as volunteer faculty. The HBT was attended by optometrists, ophthalmologists, nursing staff, and trainees alike. As part of HBT, CME was conducted on September 29 and September 30, 2022. Dr. Ajit Kumar Poddar, Medical Director, AJEH spoke about AJEH and Pediatric Services at AJEH, while Dr. Suma Ganesh spoke about Childhood Strabismus. This CME aimed at improving awareness on Pediatric Eye Care services. Along with AJEH staff members, Government officials and Community Volunteers attended this session. On September 30, 2022 a CME was conducted for Ophthalmologists and Optometrists of AJEH where Dr. Suma Ganesh presented about Cerebral Visual Impairment.

Furthermore, a webinar on Pediatric Anesthesia and a Basic Life Support (BLS) training were also conducted for the trainees.

Further, Orbis continues to leverage it tele-education platform Cybersight to deliver distance learning modules and mentor, train, and expand access to quality eye health services.

Orbis envisions transformation in the eye care ecosystem though collaborative action to increase equitable access to eye health services and improve the quality of life of the communities. The hands-on trainings embellished with insightful discussions with the faculty mentors are instrumental in equipping the professionals with the critical skillset to deliver quality treatment, instilling trust among the patients, and increasing the uptake of medical services among the communities.