#115 – Dr Manish Raval

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Manish Raval of Moorfield’s Eye Hospital reflects on 11 years volunteering for Orbis, travelling to places like Peru, Zambia and Mongolia to work on surgeries on board their state-of-the-art Flying Eye Hospital and in the community.

Manish explains that 1.1 billion people have some sight loss yet 90% is avoidable. Orbis – a non profit organisation – empowers local medics in developing countries with the skills and resources to fight blindness on their own, teaching surgeries and techniques.

Manish specialises in paediatric anaesthesia and takes us round the world with examples of the charity’s work.

In Ethiopia Orbis is heavily involved in eradicating trachoma – a bacterial infection which is the leading preventable cause of blindness. In Bangladesh volunteers teach cataract procedures and in Vietnam, where diabetes is a big problem, diabetic retinopathy surgery.