At least 2.2 billion people worldwide have vision impairment or blindness. With access to modern eye care, vision loss could be treated or prevented in at least 1 billion of those people. The world faces considerable challenges in eye care, including inequalities in the coverage and quality of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services; a shortage of trained eye care providers; and poor integration of eye care services into health systems, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).   

Led by Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD The Duke Global Ophthalmology Program offers urgently needed eye care to people throughout the world.  Teams spend days or weeks in-country, providing screenings, medical and surgical care, and follow-up. Collaborations with partners during these missions often lead to global research opportunities and the ability to improve future patient care.