Telehealth partnership aims to prevent blindness in developing world

The UC Davis Health System and global non-governmental organization Orbis International have penned a cooperation agreement to expand use of telemedicine technology to help treat and prevent blindness in the developing world.

The World Health Organization estimates that 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide, including 39 million individuals who are blind and 246 million who have low vision. Of these, about 90 percent of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries, and 80 percent of all cases of visual impairment can be avoided or cured, according to UC Davis.

Through the alliance, UC Davis specialists in telemedicine, health IT, ophthalmology, anesthesiology and nursing will work with Orbis on initiatives such as staff development, fellowships and programs on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital—a fully equipped mobile teaching hospital on board a DC-10 jet. Trainees will receive hands-on training in the UC Davis Center for Health and Technology simulation center and Orbis's telehealth program for real-time surgical demonstrations.

"Advances in telecommunications technologies and broadband capacity in developing countries has created new opportunities to improve training for physicians, nurses and other members of the healthcare team and expanded access to healthcare services among the world's most vulnerable populations," said Thomas Nesbitt, associate vice chancellor for strategic technologies and alliances at UC Davis, in a statement.