Introduction
The Eye Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology (the Foundation), is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 1995, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In recent surveys of eye diseases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, researchers found the prevalence of blindness to be 1.5% and that the rate of blindness was approximately 15 times higher than the rate of blindness in other countries. The prevalence of blindness in Saudi Arabia was found to be 26 times higher than the rate of blindness in the United States.
The most common causes of blindness in Saudi Arabia are cataract, glaucoma, refractive errors, and corneal scars. The increase in the prevalence of blindness in Saudi Arabia is related to previous epidemics of infectious diseases and the high prevalence of cataract as well as the backlog of patients suffering from cataracts in this part of the world.
The Saudi government as well as the governments of other Arab countries has launched numerous and successful programs for the delivery of health care. However, eye diseases persist in being one of the major health problems that remain to be addressed by our community. Furthermore, most health care delivery in the Arab world is provided by governmental agencies. We have come to realize that there are no private nongovernmental organizations that participate in the prevention of blindness in the Arab world.
It was realized that both clinical and basic research in ophthalmology is urgently needed to improve the diagnostic and therapeutic skills in the management of many of the eye diseases that are common in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Research on common blinding eye diseases in Saudi Arabia are not usually conducted because such disorders are rare in the Western Hemisphere. There is great need to initiate such research activities in ophthalmology and to focus on diseases that are common in Saudi Arabia.
Although the Saudi Government has initiated programs for the delivery of health care and eye care, diseases affecting the eye and leading to blindness persist and remain one of the major health problems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although there are several hospitals that do provide a wide range of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services, which can be considered the state-of-the-art in the delivery of eye care, such clinical facilities do not have the personnel nor the resources necessary successfully to provide advanced efforts in research in ophthalmology.
MISSION OF THE FOUNDATION
The mission of the Foundation is to develop, encourage and fund research in ophthalmology to support sight restoration and blindness prevention programs. The Foundation supports research projects that focus on new ways to diagnose and prevent diseases that may lead to visual loss in Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVES OF THE FOUNDATION
The major objectives of the Foundation are:
- To initiate and implement policies and programs for the prevention oi blindness in the developing countries and the Arab world.
- To initiate public education programs in ophthalmology.
- To promote clinical research in the field of ophthalmology.
- To endorse, promote and encourage post-graduate training and continuing medical education training in ophthalmology.
- To promote basic research in diseases affecting the visual system with special emphasis on the infectious disorders that are prevalent it Saudi Arabia.
- To develop and help in the transfer of western technology in ophthalmology to developing countries.
The main objectives of the Foundation are to establish clinical research projects in the field of ophthalmology and to promote basic research in diseases affecting the visual system, with special emphasis on the ophthalmic diseases that are common in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the Foundation is established to promote education in ophthalmology. The Foundation initiates and implements policies for the prevention of blindness in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in other developing countries.
The Foundation has recruited qualified staff members to conduct research in ophthalmology and divided its work into inter-mural and extra-mural activities. The Foundation also provides several post-graduate training programs in ophthalmology and organizes several continuing medical education activities for ophthalmologists working in Saudi Arabia. The weekly lectures and case presentations are conducted and monthly research seminars are organized.
A national policy for the prevention of blindness is currently under discussion based on a successful program to study the needs of various regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in terms of conducting local activities for the prevention of trachoma. The Foundation is also involved in the printing in Arabic of public education material on common eye diseases.