Eye Foundation of America Launches International Ophthalmology Learning Program
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Eye Foundation of America announced today that it is working with the Gourami Eye Institute, a fully-equipped eye hospital in Rajahmundry, India (300 miles east of Hyderabad) to provide international learning opportunities for ophthalmology students who have an interest in diabetic retinopathy.
The program will provide students hands-on experience performing in-the-field diabetic retinopathy preventative screenings as well as hospital-based experience at the Goutami Eye Institute, which is also a teaching hospital.
Dr. V. K. Raju, founder and medical director of the Eye Foundation of America, said, "From an educational standpoint, this is a wonderful opportunity for students to not only see how clinical procedures are performed in a different environment, but how culture impacts the physician-patient relationship."
The program is being made available to ophthalmology students who are in their third-year of residency or in a fellowship program. Participation can be for one, two, three or four weeks. Dr. Raju noted that the number of openings is very limited.
Dr. Ronald L. Gross, Professor and Chairman of the WVU school of ophthalmology explains, "Dr. Raju has been committed to our students and residents through a variety of interesting lectures throughout the years. The opportunity for our residents to actually participate in an international experience enhances the educational process and now exists through the generosity of the Eye Foundation of America. To have the opportunity to gain an understanding about rural India's ophthalmology care through a first-hand experience is a great addition to our program."
The International Ophthalmology Learning Program comes in the midst of the Eye Foundation of America's "100,000 Lives Campaign," which was launched earlier this year. The campaign has a goal of providing eye care to 100,000 people in rural India who are at risk for, or may already be suffering from, diabetic retinopathy — a condition that often leads to blindness if left untreated. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that nearly 20 percent of the world's population with diabetes (61.3 million people) lives in India.
In 2006, Dr. Raju helped found the Goutami Eye Institute. Since its founding, the Institute has trained 200 ophthalmologists, served 400,000 patients and conducted more than 50,000 surgeries.
About the Eye Foundation of America
The Eye Foundation of America is dedicated to combating avoidable blindness. It has advanced the visual health of more than 1.7 million people in 21 countries. As founder, Dr. Raju has more than 30 years of experience in providing free and subsidized eye treatment in remote areas of the developing countries. www.EyeFoundationOfAmerica.org
This article contains forward looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
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