Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION September 2016 17 While Orbis has a strong, full- time team, it relies on help from a pool of about 400 volunteer faculty who are experts in their field, have experience in training, and come recommended by other volunteers. However, this volunteer work may not be for everyone. "While you're quite pampered on the [Flying Eye Hospital], in the local hospital stuff happens," Ms. Watson said. "I think we find our volunteers either come once or they come their whole life." Those interested in applying to be a volunteer on the Flying Eye Hospital can visit www.orbis.org. The third generation Flying Eye Hospital will make its inaugural training mission in Shenyang, China, in September. EW Editors' note: The sources have no financial interests related to their comments. Contact information Jaramillo: Antonio.jaramillo@orbis.org Watson: joni@discussconsulting.com "For that country, for that place, we will develop a plan based on that. But the most common [conditions] will always be cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy." Depending on the local need, the Flying Eye Hospital's stops range anywhere from 2 weeks to more than a month. Some visits involve training on more advanced tech- niques. For example, Dr. Jaramillo said a planning visit to Vietnam revealed the ophthalmic teams there were well-versed in modern cataract surgery, thus their training program will be tailored with that in mind. On the flip side, other countries visited by Orbis don't have the technology to conduct phacoemulsi- fication cataract surgery. As such the faculty plan for training on small incision cataract surgery instead. In addition to the training con- ducted on the plane, Dr. Jaramillo said further education happens on site at the local hospitals as well. "It is important for us to work at the local hospital with their equip- ment so we can teach them how to properly use it," he said. keeps staff up to the minute on what a surgeon might need. Those ster- ilized tools can be passed through another hatch directly into the OR. A patient recovery room and a small locker room are at the back of the plane. Many welcoming de- tails and considerations have been accounted for, including having enough room for a prayer rug in the locker room should patients or staff need to pray while on board. Program planning Several months before the Flying Eye Hospital touches down in a country, Orbis' planning team begins address- ing logistics and makes site visits. Everything from determining the educational needs to whether the plane can land at the local airport are figured out ahead of time. "We go there and assess the hospital, check all of the equipment that they have and identify what they don't have. We talk to the doc- tors; they're the ones who provide us with information like 'We're getting a lot of retina problems' or 'We need someone to teach us about this condition,'" Dr. Jaramillo said. to the plane's oxygen system and notes that it also has its own water filtration system. The OR has the latest technol- ogies such as the Centurion Vision System and the Constellation Vision System, both of which were donat- ed by Alcon (Fort Worth, Texas). Although many technologies might not be regularly available in visited countries, Dr. Jaramillo said physi- cians and nurses still learn valuable skills and techniques on the plane and are further trained by Orbis staff and volunteers at their own hospi- tals on their own equipment. "It's like learning to drive; you can drive an old Ford or a BMW, but the driving is the same," Dr. Jaramillo said. Ms. Watson emphasized the importance the organization puts on contamination and infection control training. She noted that used surgical instruments from the OR are placed in a hatch that has an air pressure system, making sure any germs stay put. From that hatch they're taken for onboard sterilization. A video screen in a separate room where already sanitized tools are located makes cross-country tour

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