Humanitarian
Preventing blindness from diabetes: planning a programme of service development and research across Malawi
In sub-Saharan Africa 19.4 million people have diabetes; this is projected to rise to 28.6 million by 2030 [1]. Sight loss from diabetes devastates the lives of working people, affecting the financial stability of the families and communities who depend...
Developing a training model to strengthen diabetic retinopathy screening through a VISION 2020 LINK in India
I. Development of LINK Partnership A VISION 2020 LINK India was established by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2018 between the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and...
Capacity-building through the COECSA-RCOphth LINK – linking journals in a training and mentorship programme
The College of Ophthalmology of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa (COECSA) [1] and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) [2] have a long-standing health partnership through the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme [3,4]. The LINK started a new project in 2019...
DR-NET Workshop – information-sharing for strengthening DR programmes
Contributors: Rosie Brennan, Anshul Chauhan, Mona Duggal, John Ellis, Michael Gichangi, Edwin Grayson, Catherine Jamieson, Ankita Kankaria, Oliver Kemp, Hendra Kusuma, Nanda Matthew, Geeta Menon, Habibah Muhiddin, Tunde Peto, Recivall Salongcay, Frank Sandi, Hazel Shillingford-Ricketts, Bernadetha Shilio, Caroline Styles, Sharon...
Development of retinoblastoma care in Indonesia and the role of multidisciplinary team meetings
In the second article of a two-part series (See Part 1 here), the authors focus on the diagnosis and management of retinoblastoma in Indonesia. COVID-19 doesn’t get thanked for many things, but on 19 December 2020 as the world grew...
Reflections on a twelve-year partnership: The Makassar-Dundee LINK
In the first article of a two-part series (see Part 2 here), the authors provide an overview of this hugely successful partnership and how they overcame the challenges of COVID-19. What began in 2008 as a connection between equals, has...
The role of virtual Rb-NET Multidisciplinary Team meetings in the management of children with retinoblastoma in low- and middle-income countries
A selection of participants in an MDT meeting with Uganda. In 2017 the LINKS Programme developed a new network of LINKS to support and coordinate action against retinoblastoma (Rb) in response to requests from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), called...
The Diabetic Eye Screening Programme in Tanzania - The VISION 2020 LINK between Dodoma and Belfast
Rahila Bashir, Senior Remote Ophthalmic Research Image Grader, talks to Frank Sandi, Ophthalmologist at the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH), University of Dodoma in Tanzania and to Tunde Peto at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust...
VISION 2020 LINKS Programme and DR-NET World Sight Day Workshop
World Sight Day (WSD) was celebrated globally on 8 October 2020 [1]. From Australia and the Pacific to the Americas, via Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, awareness-raising and advocacy activities took place throughout the day, to focus attention on unnecessary...
6.6.2020 – a celebration of international partnerships
The date 6.6.2020 was selected as a significant milestone for celebrating the achievements of the VISION LINKS Programme as part of the global ‘VISION 2020: The Right to Sight’ initiative [1]. This virtual full-day seminar included LINK partners in the...
COVID-19 and Ophthalmology: RCOphth, ICEH and COECSA joint webinar
The Royal College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (the Royal College) have had a successful VISION 2020 LINK partnership for over 12 years. The partnership was established by the VISION...
Development of paediatric ophthalmology services in Malawi: the VISION 2020 LINK between Blantyre and Glasgow
A VISION 2020 LINK was established in 2005 between the Lions Sight First Eye Hospital (LSFEH) in Blantyre, Malawi (part of the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital) with Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children to help to develop a paediatric ophthalmic service...
