# Orbis International > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orbis_International > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orbis_International.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbis_International > Source revision: 1353506338 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|U.S.-based international nonprofit organization}} {{Infobox organization | logo = ORBIS logo.svg | type = [Non-profit organization](/source/Non-profit_organization) | website = https://www.orbis.org | footnotes = | name = Orbis International | formation = {{start date and age|1982}} | founded = 1982 | founder = Albert Lee Ueltschi,
Betsy Trippe DeVecci,
Thomas Knight,
David Paton | region_served = Worldwide (92 countries as of 2012) | focus = eliminating preventable [blindness](/source/blindness) | headquarters = New York City, U.S. | leader_title = Board Chair | leader_name = John Howitt | leader_title2 = President and CEO | leader_name2 = Kathleen Sherwin }} '''Orbis International''' is an international [nonprofit organization](/source/nonprofit_organization) which focuses on the prevention of [blindness](/source/blindness) and the treatment of blinding [eye disease](/source/eye_disease)s in [developing countries](/source/developing_countries) through [hands-on training](/source/Experiential_learning), [public health](/source/public_health) education, [advocacy](/source/advocacy) and local partnerships.{{cite web |title=Orbis International {{!}} International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness |url=http://www.iapb.org/member/orbis-international |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Iapb.org}} Since 1982, Orbis capacity-building programs have enhanced the skills of 325,000 eye care personnel and provided medical and optical treatment to more than 23.3 million people in 92 countries.{{cite web |title=ORBIS - Visual Impairment Data |url=http://www.orbis.org/Default.aspx?cid=10449&lang=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806164000/http://orbis.org/Default.aspx?cid=10449&lang=1 |archive-date=2013-08-06 |access-date=2013-08-06}} Orbis is a registered [501(c)(3)](/source/501(c)) [tax-deductible](/source/tax_deduction) non-profit charity in the United States.{{cite web |title=Rating for ORBIS International |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4368 |access-date=2016-12-14 |publisher=Charity Navigator}} It was rated 4 stars on [Charity Navigator](/source/Charity_Navigator) in 2016 and was a [Guidestar](/source/GuideStar) Gold Participant.{{cite web |title=Project Orbis International, Inc. - GuideStar Profile |url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/23-7297651 |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Guidestar.org}} It is headquartered in New York, with offices in [Toronto](/source/Toronto), London, [Dublin](/source/Dublin), [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong), [Macau](/source/Macau), [Shanghai](/source/Shanghai), [Singapore](/source/Singapore), [Cape Town](/source/Cape_Town) and [Addis Ababa](/source/Addis_Ababa). Orbis' programs emphasise skills, training and self-sufficiency. The organisation spends approximately a year planning and coordinating with partner hospitals and local organisations, making preliminary visits to observe the local medical teams.{{cite web |date=11 August 2016 |title=High-tech 'Flying Eye Hospital' visits Silicon Valley |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_30235392/high-tech-flying-eye-hospital-visits-silicon-valley |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Mercurynews.com}} Its [Flying Eye Hospital](/source/Orbis_International) not only gives care to patients, but also provides training to local staff and delivers equipment and surgical supplies to ensure that local teams are able to continue to help people long after the plane has left the program site.{{cite web |title=Eye in the Sky: FedEx, Orbis Debut Third-Gen Flying Eye Hospital |url=https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2016/jun/17/eye-in-the-sky/ |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Memphisdailynews.com}} ''Cybersight'', Orbis' telemedicine program, continues the training and mentoring relationships.{{cite web |last=UK |first=Orbis |title=Cindy Crawford Unveils Orbis's New Plane to Fight Blindness /PR Newswire UK/ |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cindy-crawford-unveils-orbiss-new-plane-to-fight-blindness-581768601.html |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Prnewswire.co.uk}} Orbis' intervention are tailored to local needs; Orbis trains local doctors in low-tech, low-cost yet effective methods to correct diseases of the eyes.{{cite web |date=2016-07-15 |title=With Its Flying Hospital, This Group Is Saving The World From Blindness |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3060856/most-creative-people/with-its-flying-hospital-this-group-is-saving-the-world-from-blindness |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Fastcomapny.com |language=en-US}} In addition to the Flying Eye Hospital, Orbis operates hospital-based programs in several countries and works with local medical research and health-care organizations on blindness prevention and eye disease treatment. Orbis is a founding partner, along with the [World Health Organization](/source/World_Health_Organization), of ''VISION 2020: The Right to Sight,'' "a worldwide concerted effort designed to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020." == History == right|thumb|Orbis McDonnell Douglas DC-8-21 at Birmingham Airport, England Orbis was founded in 1982 with a grant from the [U.S. Agency for International Development](/source/United_States_Agency_for_International_Development) (USAID) and a number of private donors. The first Flying Eye Hospital was a [Douglas DC-8](/source/Douglas_DC-8)-21 (N220RB) donated by [United Airlines](/source/United_Airlines). In its first two years of operation, the Orbis DC-8 visited countries and held programs emphasizing the hands-on transfer of surgical skills. {{cn|date=December 2025}} By the late 1980s, as replacement parts for the aging DC-8 became more difficult and expensive to obtain, it became clear that a newer, larger aircraft was needed. Funded by private donations, Orbis purchased a DC-10 in 1992. The DC-10 contained twice the interior space of the original DC-8. After two years of conversion and renovation, it was placed in service in 1994, and the DC-8 was retired and donated to [Chinese Aviation Museum](/source/Chinese_Aviation_Museum) near Beijing, China. That summer, the new Flying Eye Hospital took off on its inaugural mission to Beijing. {{cn|date=December 2025}} In 1998, Orbis embarked on a new path based on the strategy to strengthen the capacity of local partners in the developing world to prevent and treat blindness through full-time, ongoing in-country programs. These programs were designed to respond to the needs of individual ophthalmic communities and local eye care providers. Orbis selected the first initial five countries to work in year round based on need (magnitude of blindness), opportunity (local infrastructure and resources), and safety & stability to operate in-country. {{cn|date=December 2025}} Orbis launched its first permanent country program in [Ethiopia](/source/Ethiopia). Country programs in [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh), China, India, Spain and Vietnam soon followed. In 2010 Orbis established a country program office in [South Africa](/source/South_Africa). Permanent Orbis offices in these countries, run by local staff, develop and implement an array of multi-year projects to improve the quality and accessibility of eye care to residents, particularly in rural area and impoverished urban communities. In addition to permanent country offices, Orbis also engages in long-term program work in countries in [Latin America](/source/Latin_America) and [the Caribbean](/source/Caribbean) as well is in countries including [Nepal](/source/Nepal), [Zambia](/source/Zambia), and [Burkina Faso](/source/Burkina_Faso). {{cn|date=December 2025}} On April 7, 2008, Orbis announced it would replace the DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital with a DC-10 Series 30 freighter. [United Airlines](/source/United_Airlines), with the support of [FedEx](/source/FedEx), is donating the airplane to Orbis.{{Cite web |date=8 April 2008 |title=United Airlines and FedEx Donate Plane to Create a New Flying Eye Hospital |url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/united-airlines-and-fedex-donate-plane-to-create-a-new-flying-eye-hospital/ |access-date=2021-03-11 |website=FedEx Newsroom |language=en}} On August 8, 2011, FedEx announced that it would donate one of its DC-10-30s, retrofitted with the ''MD-10-30F'' upgrade, to Orbis to replace its DC-10-30F.{{Cite web |date=24 August 2011 |title=FedEx Donates US$5 Million and MD-10 Aircraft to ORBIS International |url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/fedex-donates-us5-million-and-md-10-aircraft-to-orbis-international/ |access-date=2021-03-11 |website=FedEx Newsroom |language=en}} The new MD-10 will feature a modular hospital suite, the first time these units will have been used on an aircraft.{{cite web |title=News Channel {{!}} Homepage |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/08/03/360321/fedex-donates-md-10-30f-to-non-profit-orbis.html |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Flightglobal.com}} == The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital == right|thumb|Orbis International McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 at Hong Kong. right|thumb|Orbis International McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30 at Malta International Airport, Malta Orbis is well known for its "'''Flying Eye Hospital'''", an [ophthalmic](/source/Ophthalmology) hospital and teaching facility located on board a [McDonnell Douglas DC-10](/source/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-10) aircraft. The Flying Eye Hospital brings training to doctors and nurses in developing countries with little access to professional development and training. Classrooms, [operating theatre](/source/operating_theatre)s and laser rooms are aboard the aircraft and the local medical personnel are able to watch live surgeries as well as simulations.{{cite news |date=24 January 2016 |title=Doctors on the move: Getting healthcare to far-flung places |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-35372495 |access-date=2016-08-23 |publisher=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News) |language=en-GB}} 3D filming and broadcast facilities allow the local ophthalmic professionals to observe the live surgeries through the eyes of the surgeon. Surgeries can also be broadcast to additional classes outside of the aircraft, be it a local hospital or halfway across the world. Participants can ask questions via a two-way audio-visual system.{{cite web |title=ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital {{!}} The Center for Health Market Innovations |url=http://healthmarketinnovations.org/program/orbis-flying-eye-hospital |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826130241/https://healthmarketinnovations.org/program/orbis-flying-eye-hospital |archive-date=2019-08-26 |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Healthmarketinnovations.org}} Volunteer pilots donate their time and skills to fly the hospital to the various program sites. {{cn|date=December 2025}}thumb|right|Examination and laser treatment suite inside the Flying Eye Hospital In June 2016, Orbis revealed its third-generation Flying Eye Hospital. The hospital is a converted McDonnell Douglas MD-10 donated by FedEx and can fly twice as long as its predecessor. It is similar to a land-based hospital and is outfitted with safety features such as a back-up generator and early alert monitoring systems.{{cite web |title=Flying Eye Hospital focuses on teaching physicians in other countries |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article82636347.html |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Sacbee.com}} The hospital also has its own [water treatment plant](/source/Water_treatment) and air conditioning systems.{{cite web |title=Orbis International's Flying Eye Hospital trains UC Davis specialists - Sacramento Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2016/06/09/flying-eye-hospital-lands-in-sacramento.html |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Bizjournals.com}} It also houses a 46-seat classroom, sterilization room and operating room and uses 3D technology and live broadcast systems which allow local participants to observe surgeries while they are taking place.{{cite web |date=2016-06-03 |title=Orbis Sees Opportunity with Third-Generation Flying Eye Hospital |url=http://apex.aero/2016/06/03/orbis-sees-opportunity-third-generation-flying-eye-hospital |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826094539/http://apex.aero/2016/06/03/orbis-sees-opportunity-third-generation-flying-eye-hospital |archive-date=2016-08-26 |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=APEX {{!}} Airline Passenger Experience}} A [https://streetvisit.com/portfolio/orbismd10/ virtual tour] of the plane was created as part of the launch which enables users to virtually explore all areas of the plane including the operating room and cargo hold. {{cn|date=December 2025}} Orbis's previous DC-10-10, which was the oldest flying example of its type by then, has since been donated to the [Pima Air & Space Museum](/source/Pima_Air_%26_Space_Museum). It arrived at [Davis–Monthan Air Force Base](/source/Davis%E2%80%93Monthan_Air_Force_Base) in November 2016{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=William |date=6 November 2016 |title=Pima Space Museum to get DC-10 that served as flying eye hospital |url=http://tucson.com/news/local/pima-space-museum-to-get-dc--that-served-as/article_7651166f-95aa-5025-9b26-4ab1e1545161.html |access-date=18 November 2017 |website=Arizona Daily Star}} and is currently on display in the museum. As of 2025, the Flying Eye Hospital has been grounded for inspections and repairs{{Cite web |last=Petchenik |first=Ian |date=2025-11-15 |title=FAA expands emergency airworthiness directive to DC-10s |url=https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/aviation-news/aviation-safety/faa-expands-emergency-airworthiness-directive-to-dc-10s/ |access-date=2026-05-10 |website=Flightradar24 Blog |language=en-US}} == Country programs == In addition to the Flying Eye Hospital, Orbis operates long-term country programs and collaborates with local governments and organisations and push for eye care to be integrated into national health programs. It has also worked with local universities and healthcare institutions and manage a team of more than 400 medical volunteers from 29 countries to provide expert training to their local partners. In each country, Orbis works with its local partner institutions to increase their capacity to provide comprehensive, affordable and sustainable eye care services over the long term. The programs include developing specialized hospital facilities, [eye bank](/source/eye_bank)s, patient and health care worker training, and prevention and treatment programs.{{cite web |title=Orbis |url=http://www.orbis.org |access-date=2016-12-14 |publisher=Orbis}} In 2015, more than 30,000 medical professionals were trained and more than 2 million patients were examined either on board Flying Eye Hospital or at its partner institutions. == Cybersight == Cybersight is a telemedicine portal founded by Orbis that allows eye health workers in low- and middle-income countries to consult with expert mentors in their field, free of charge. Mentors give their opinion on patient cases, share learning materials, and help local eye health workers develop their skills in blindness treatment and prevention. Since its launch, more than 10,000 electronic cases have taken place.{{cite web |title=Cyber-Sight {{!}} The Center for Health Market Innovations |url=http://healthmarketinnovations.org/program/cyber-sight |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019154603/http://healthmarketinnovations.org/program/cyber-sight |archive-date=2020-10-19 |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=Healthmarketinnovations.org}} This allows for [distance learning](/source/Distance_education) and discussion. {{cn|date=December 2025}} Cybersight also offers regular live lectures, a library of educational material, and allows users to take tests and receive certificates of achievement.{{cite web |title=ORBIS Program: Cyber-sight |url=http://www.v2020la.org/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87:orbis-program-cyber-sight&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50&lang=es |access-date=2016-08-23 |website=V2020la.org}} On September 10, 2018, Orbis announced a new collaboration with AI company Visulytix to apply their automated imaging technology to Cybersight. Visulytix's Pegasus AI system will be used to analyse images of the back of the eye taken with any standard retina camera or smartphone. Eye doctors in low-resource countries will be amongst the first in the world to have free access to this service on the Cybersight platform, helping them detect and diagnose sight-threatening eye diseases such as [diabetic retinopathy](/source/diabetic_retinopathy), [age-related macular degeneration](/source/Macular_degeneration) and [glaucoma](/source/glaucoma), as well as quickly request a second opinion from Orbis's network of medical experts.{{cite web |title=Orbis & Visulytix collaborate on new AI technology |url=https://www.orbis.org/en/news/2018/orbis-and-visulytix-collaborate-on-new-ai-technology |access-date=2018-10-31 |website=Orbis.org}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} * {{cite news |last=Salewicz |first=Chris |date=9 February 2008 |title=Oliver Foot: President of Orbis International, the world's only flying eye hospital |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/oliver-foot-president-of-orbis-international-the-worlds-only-flying-eye-hospital-780243.html |newspaper=[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)}} ==External links== {{commons|ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital}} * {{Official website|https://www.orbis.org/}} * The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital was the subject of a short Al Jazeera Documentary. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnkf_qRquEk Part 1], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-vLIhiV6nE Part 2]. * {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|237297651}} {{authority control}} Category:Organizations established in 1982 Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City Category:Ophthalmology organizations Category:Medical and health organizations based in New York City Category:Blindness charities Category:Health charities in the United States Category:International medical and health organizations Category:1982 establishments in the United States Category:Charities based in New York City Category:Blindness organizations in the United States Category:1982 establishments --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Orbis International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbis_International) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbis_International?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.