How you can help!
AECP TO ELIMINATE INFANT BLINDNESS. U.S. AECP Physicians, along with a team of experts from throughout the U.S.
traveled over the weekend to gather in Yerevan to launch their ROP Initiative to eliminate infant blindness in Armenia. • Every year 200 Infants in Armenia are at risk for blindness from ROP . . . You Can Make that Number 0."
• In Armenia the rate of premature infants at risk for blindness is three times what it is in U.S. • This is primarily due to the lack of trained personnel and equipment. With your help we can change that!
MEDICAL MISSION OF THE EYECARE PROJECT.
The mission of the Armenian EyeCare Project is to eliminate preventable blindness in Armenia and to provide access to eye care for all those in need. Everything we do, all of our programs, are developed and implemented to achieve our mission. More than 80 percent of blindness is preventable or treatable with 100 percent of infant blindness from ROP preventable—a most exciting initiative, which we are launching this month in Armenia. WHAT IS RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY (ROP)? ROP is a potentially blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants. This condition is one of the most common causes of visual loss in childhood and can lead to lifelong vision impairment and blindness. The development of vision is dependent on many factors. ROP is caused when the premature baby has not had time in the womb for the blood vessels within the retina to grow properly. And with more premature infants in Armenia surviving and no experience in diagnosis and treatment, ROP is increasing significantly.
EYECARE PROJECT LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO ELIMINATE INFANT BLINDNESS FROM ROP.
The AECP is implementing a new and exciting program to prevent and treat vision loss in babies born prematurely. The Project will train pediatric ophthalmologists, as well as neonatal intensive care unit staff, in appropriate and sustainable screening and treatment techniques to prevent blindness in babies with ROP. The Project will also teach pediatric ophthalmologists the surgical skills necessary to treat the retinas of ROP babies with a laser. This treatment has prevented vision loss in the dozen or so patients already treated in Armenia and is expected to save the sight of hundreds more. Other program components include training in oxygen management so premature babies in incubators can avoid ROP; the acquisition of oxygen "blenders" for neonatal intensive care units, which enable staff to mix oxygen levels properly to prevent ROP; prenatal training for mother to minimize premature births; and hospital staff training to counsel mothers of at-risk infants. State-of-the-art equipment is required for the implementation of our program. We must have specialized retinal cameras (RET-CAMS) made by Clarity (who is giving us a generous discount), which takes images of the eyes of premature infants and then uploads them to the Internet. These images are read by experts in the U.S. who will assist eye specialists in Armenia until they have developed their own skill set for ROP. This is both a critical diagnostic tool plus an exciting teaching method. A very special thanks to Glenda and Luther Khachigian who have donated our first RET-CAM.
Together we can eliminate infant blindness in Armenia—every $1 helps! Donate Today.
For more information www.eyecareproject.com
Leslie@eyecareproject.com
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