A lack of female health providers is stealing the sight of women around the world. Blindness prevention charity Orbis is working to change this.
International Women’s Day takes place on March 8 each year and is a chance to celebrate women’s achievements as well as to reflect on what more we need to do to create a fair and equitable world.
Orbis, a charity committed to building strong and sustainable eyecare systems internationally, recognises that blindness and vision loss are gendered issues – and a burden that women and girls disproportionately bear.
Around the world, and in particularly within low- and middle-income countries, women have worse access to eye health services and are 12 percent more likely to suffer from sight loss than men. Global figures indicate that 55 percent of those living with vision loss are women and girls, translating to an additional 112 million people.
A lack of women in eyecare is a major barrier to access for women and girls who may be more comfortable receiving treatment from a female health practitioner due to cultural or other reasons. Globally, women represent only 25–30 percent of ophthalmologists, and 35–45 percent of professionals-in-training.
But Orbis is working to overcome this barrier. Alongside their partners, Orbis have helped to train women to manage and run four Vision Centres in south-eastern Bangladesh. These community-based centres are purposely set up in remote, hard-to-reach areas, which suffer from an acute lack of access to vision services. They aim to provide eyecare for a combined population of 300,000 who would otherwise be without.
Recent results from Orbis for 2023 show that over 73,000 people were screened and received treatment across these Vision Centres. More than half of those seen were women.
By being women-led, these services make it easier for women and their families to access treatment, and empower women and girls in the community through job creation and increasing their financial independence.
Tasmia received training from Orbis and now runs a Women-Led Green Vision Centre in the sub-district of Haimchar, Bangladesh. She oversees vision services through the centre and door-to-door eye tests: “Women-Led Green Vision Centres are important because women in these rural areas are not comfortable speaking openly with a man,” explains Tasmia. “When we do screenings, every woman and child feels comfortable sharing their problems. These open discussions help to provide patients with the proper treatment.”
In Chandpur District in Bangladesh, Orbis also helps to operate the Shahrasti Vision Center. In Chandpur, more than half of the population is living in poverty and a shocking 15% are struggling with vision loss. The center provides hope to many in the community in need of eye care, including Anwara, a 55-year-old housewife from a small village near the centre.
Anwara had been suffering from vision problems for several months but was unable to afford the costs to see a qualified doctor. But when she heard about the eyecare services offered at Shahrasti Vision Center and how it’s led by women care professionals, she made an appointment to have her eyes screened.
Anwara recalls, “The doctor who tested my eyes was a woman. So, I didn’t feel shy and was able to express myself to the fullest. I was also able to speak with a well-known doctor in Chandpur via a digital platform at the Vision Center.”
After a thorough examination by doctors, Anwara was diagnosed with a cataract in her left eye and was scheduled to receive surgery to correct her vision.
“Training women to manage Vision Centres in rural Bangladesh removes the barriers of cost, distance and the time needed to travel to distant places,” explains Kate Gannon, Head of Programme Funding at Orbis UK; “This makes it far easier for women and girls to gain permission to access these services and get treatment in their community by a trained female eye health professional. We have found that Vision Centres that are women-led see many more patients per day.”
Anwara is just one of the many women Orbis is helping to reach their full potential through these programmes. Without sight, women and girls are unable to stay in school, achieve economic independence and look after their families. With the help of their partners and supporters, the charity is aiming to set up five more Women-Led Green Vision Centres over the next two years in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh.
To learn more about Orbis’s work in Bangladesh and to show support, visit their website: https://tinyurl.com/3v6c2x8d
