Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have joined a new Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium.
The consortium has been set up by 11 institutions following a £7.1m grant from The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, a statement said. It would pursue research into conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and build capacity across the Commonwealth to tackle avoidable blindness.
The announcement was made to coincide with Commonwealth Day 2014 on March 10. Priorities were to include the roll-out of the Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) system, trialled in Kenya (News 23.08.13), which detects eye problems using a smartphone.
Colin Cook, head of the Division of Ophthalmology of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, said: ‘We are very grateful to The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust for its support towards eye care and the elimination of avoidable blindness in the Commonwealth. The African saying is “How do you eat an elephant?” to which the answer is “one mouthful at a time, piece by piece, and with a lot of help from your friends”. This initiative is a wonderful illustration of this teamwork, and we are grateful for the opportunity to participate.’
OpenEyes, an electronic patient record system to replace inefficient and unreliable paper systems, was another technology set for development following the grant.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major, chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, added: ‘With the invaluable and diverse talents of so many specialists – from all around the Commonwealth – we can, together, lead the fight against avoidable blindness worldwide.’
The trust had already pledged £42.8m to combat blinding trachoma in the Commonwealth (News 22.11.14).
