Nkhoma Eye Hospital

A provider of essential eye health services and outreach campaigns in rural Malawi and Mozambique.

The Nkhoma Hospital serves some of the poorest people in the world.

Nkhoma is situated in a rural area of Central Malawi, and serves a population of 4.5 million, predominantly subsistence farmers. 74% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.

The estimated prevalence of blindness is 1%, of which around 50% is due to Cataract. Glaucoma and Corneal Scarring are the other leading causes of blindness in this area.

The eye department houses an outpatient clinic, ward and an operating theatre from where the ophthalmologists run regular eye clinics and surgeries.

In addition, regular outreach campaigns reach into rural areas to help identify and refer those who would otherwise lose their sight, or live without sight.

More than 21,000 consultations were conducted during 2008 and more than 4,000 cataract operations were performed there. The department also dispenses (and makes and sells) glasses - more than 4,000 pairs changed hands here in 2007.

Nkhoma Hospital is jointly linked with neighbouring Lilongwe Eye Hospital, and to the Princess Alexander Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, Scotland, which provides research, vitreo-retinal service and ophthalmic training through the CBM and Scottish Government funded links programme.

Since 2000, nearly 27,000 cataract surgeries have been performed and over 150,000 outpatients have been seen here.

Nkhoma Hospital was founded in 1889 and the Eye Unit opened in 1955. CBM has been supporting the eye work since 1977.