The goal of the London Vision Clinic Foundation
With your help, we extend humanitarian aid that addresses the issue of refractive errors in the developing world through the use of pioneering technology, skills and knowledge. We are driven to help people improve the quality of their lives by treating their refractive errors. Supported by the the world renowned expertise and technology at the London Vision Clinic, the Foundation is the world’s leading organisation working to eliminate this type of preventable blindness.
Why this is necesary
A large number of all treatable visual impairment and blindness in developing countries is due to the simplest of reasons: uncorrected refractive error such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.
In developed countries refractive error is never an issue – everyone has spectacles. If you lose a pair of glasses, you can easily buy another. However, in developing countries, more than two thirds of people are visually impaired because they simply do not possess a pair of glasses. This makes people in these countries unable to work, unable to earn money and unable to support their families for the most meaningless of reasons. Being blind can have a significant impact on one’s life and livelihood, impacting not only the individual but their families also.
Astonishingly, proportionally little effort has gone into addressing the worldwide issue of visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error. More than half-a-billion people are visually impaired because of this simple reason.
Tilganga Eye Centre
Since the launch of the London Vision Clinic in 2002, there has been a vast amount of research, technology and surgical skills development. This type of expertise was not available in Nepal, until now. Professor Dan Reinstein of the London Vision Clinic has created a programme for the London Vision Clinic Foundation to allow for the transfer of skills and training of selected staff at the Tilganga Eye Centre. This programme, which has already begun, now allows the Tilganga Eye Centre to be the first provider of laser eye surgery treatments in Nepal.