Eye Care Programme for the Eastern Highlands

Providing essential eye health care and professional training in one of the remotest parts of the world.

The Unit carried out more than 11,000 consultations in 2009. Photo: CBM.

CBM has posted a succession of ophthalmologists to the Eye Unit situated in the highland town of Goroka, and its good reputation has spread far and wide, mainly by word of mouth.

The eye unit, which is attached to Goroka Hospital, opened in 1996, and has been strongly supported by CBM since that time (covering construction, medical and surgical equipment and supplies, vehicles, training and running costs). Costs are partially offset by contributions from the hospital.

In 2009, the eye unit carried out 11,233 consultations, and performed 2,917 eye surgeries, mostly cataract operations. As well as these surgeries being done at the Eye Unit, many were done on outreach missions to remote areas of the country. As roads simply do not exist in many parts of the region, the only way to travel is by boat.

The work done at the Eye Unit represents between 60-70% of the cataract surgeries in the entire country. The project has been granted official training status by the University of Papua New Guinea, enabling it to train national eye doctors and nurses.