ORBIS's Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) Housed in a DC-10 Takes Center-Stage at 2012 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Airshow

NEW YORK, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ORBIS is excited to announce the return of its Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) to EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This is the first time since 2003 that the aircraft has been featured at the airshow -- the largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts in the United States. ORBIS will be opening the aircraft's doors at this year's airshow, giving visitors the opportunity to tour the world's only airborne ophthalmic training facility in the world. Today, ORBIS will announce details of its new FEH -- a MD-10 aircraft that is currently undergoing transformation from a cargo plane into the next generation Flying Eye Hospital.

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"We are excited to once again be part of one of the world's greatest aviation conventions and are looking forward to sharing ORBIS's mission and work to save sight worldwide with aviation enthusiasts from around the world," said Bruce Johnson, Head of Aircraft Operations, ORBIS. "We are proud to showcase our Flying Eye Hospital, which represents a unique and lasting alliance we have forged between the medical and aviation industries and allows us to help eliminate avoidable blindness on a global level."

The ORBIS FEH is a mobile teaching and treatment facility which travels around the world, working to save sight through hands-on training, public health education, advocacy and improved access to quality eye care. It is a unique tool in the fight against avoidable blindness in developing countries and has been part of ORBIS's programmatic work since 1982.

The current DC-10 aircraft has been in service since 1994 and will be retired in 2013. It will be replaced by a MD-10 that features a number of state-of-the-art advantages:

• Improved design -- the new MD-10 hospital suite will comprise of nine customized modules similar to commercial cargo containers. The modular design will enable the hospital section to be removed from the aircraft for easy maintenance, and if necessary, replacement, as well as lowering operating costs.
• Improved performance -- the new aircraft's design will mean that it requires fewer time- and cost-intensive fuel stops, allowing it to stop in more airports than the current DC-10 model.
• Reduced operating cost -- the MD-10 features an upgraded avionics package that requires only two pilots, as opposed to three needed to fly the DC-10, and less maintenance costs in the upkeep of the equipment, meaning reduced crew training time.
• Increased audiovisual capability -- improved facilities onboard will enable more healthcare professionals to be remotely trained from the MD-10, increasing our capacity-building potential around the world.

"The new Flying Eye Hospital, housed in a MD-10, is an important step in the evolution of our organization", said Jack McHale, Director of the MD-10 project. "With new medical and surgical infrastructure, as well as the improved technical specifications, the MD-10 will allow us to continue to train eye health professionals around the world and play a vital role in giving the gift of sight to millions of people."

Over the past 30 years, ORBIS has conducted programs in 90 countries, 77 of which have been visited by the ORBIS FEH. ORBIS and its partners have trained 90,000 ophthalmologists and 215,000 nurses and other medical professionals. Worldwide, ORBIS and its partners have provided treatments to 18.8 million people for blindness-related diseases and conditions. Millions more have received the gift of sight as a result of the skills that ORBIS volunteers have shared.

EAA is an international community of more than 160,000 members. For one week each summer, EAA members and aviation enthusiasts from more than 60 countries, totaling more than 500,000 people attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

Facts on the Prevention of Blindness Worldwide:

On a global scale, 285 million people are visually impaired^[1]. 80 percent of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured^[2]. Approximately 90 percent of all visually impaired people live in developing countries^[2]. The areas of significant global prevention progress include:

• Further development of eye health care services, which has led to increased availability and affordability;
• Increased commitment to prevention and cure from national leaders, medical professionals and private and corporate partners;
• Higher awareness and use of eye health care services by patients and the general population; and
• Implementation of effective eye health strategies to eliminate infectious causes of vision loss.

About ORBIS

ORBIS is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide. ORBIS prevents and treats blindness through hands-on training, public health education, improved access to quality eye care, and partnerships with local health care organizations.  By building their long-term capabilities, ORBIS helps its partner institutions take action to reach a state where they can provide, on their own, quality eye care services that are affordable, accessible, and sustainable. To learn more about ORBIS, please visit www.ORBIS.org.

References:

1. WHO (2010). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/blindness/en/

2. WHO (2011). Factsheet N°282 Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/

SOURCE ORBIS