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A three-way partnership between Nigeria, Tanzania and Northern Ireland

VISION 2020 LINKS between Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Northern Ireland with first ECWA Eye Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and now also with Mbeya Referral Hospital (MRH), Tanzania, have been beneficial to all three partners. From...

A personal reflection: working at the International Centre for Eye Health from 2006–2024

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been working part-time at the International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) [1] since 2006. Earlier in my career, the responsibilities of work and a growing family made this merely an aspiration, and apart from...

Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease: researching for an 
effective cure

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by the chronic and progressive loss of neurons, which in turn results in loss of cognitive and physical functions. The World Health Organization has estimated that the disability-adjusted life years lost from neurological disease was about...

PACK-crosslinking for infectious keratitis

Corneal cross-linking with riboflavin and UV-A light (CXL) is a technology that has been initially developed to treat corneal ectatic disorders [1]. Its effect in stabilising diseases such as keratoconus was reported in numerous trials with excellent long-term outcomes and...

The Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness: How ICEH maintains the cornerstone of global eye health data

In this paper we will discuss The Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB), a survey methodology that has become the single largest source of population eye health data globally. The origins of RAAB The RAAB is a rapid, population-based survey...

Paediatric ophthalmology training in Malawi through the Vision 2020 LINKS Programme: a decade of partnership

Blinding eye disease in children can lead to a lifetime of dependence and non-productivity for the person afflicted. Sometimes a relatively simple condition such as a refractive error can lead to irreversible disability that could, if caught in time, have...

VISION 2020 LINKS Programme: Reviewing the first ten years and announcing the new diabetic retinopathy initiative

The VISION 2020 LINKS Programme celebrates its 10th anniversary next month. Over the past decade it has achieved its objective of building capacity for eye care in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by establishing long-term training partnerships between institutions, known...

DR-NET National DR Workshop in Tanzania: Policy, training and technology

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of moderate to severe visual impairment (VI) and blindness worldwide, posing a significant public health challenge. As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the...

My ophthalmic elective: focusing on myopia in Taiwan

The authors describe their elective experience and delve further into high myopia, an emerging ophthalmic disease that is increasingly recognised in and outside Asia. The medical school elective programme presents an opportunity for students to conduct learning in their chosen...

Ophthalmology clinical teaching and research fellowships: a pathway into ophthalmology specialty training

Ophthalmology is known for being one of the most competitive medical specialties in the UK, with 6.8 applicants per post in 2021. In fact, the competition ratio has drastically increased in recent years, rising from 5.73 in 2020 and 3.24...

Observership in Dar es Salaam

In this report, both authors present their personal experiences of an observership at the Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT) Hospital, a large regional teaching hospital located in Dar es Salaam, with a particular focus on resource management, attitudes...