On September 22, 2014, USAID, the Armenian Eyecare Project and the Ministry of Health launched the 13th International Conference on Ophthalmology. The two-day conference brought together renowned experts from various fields of ophthalmology from Armenia, the United States, Europe and CIS countries, fostering a vigorous exchange of information and knowledge in various specialties related to eye care.
The first day of the conference was marked by the official opening of the Center of Excellence for Prevention of Childhood Blindness (CEPCB), a major landmark in the USAID/AECP Center of Excellence for Prevention of Childhood Blindness Project. The mission of the CEPCB is to establish and develop a specialized ophthalmological capacity to help children from Armenia and abroad to combat childhood blindness.
The Center, situated in the newly constructed building of the Republic Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a pioneer in the region in performing eye surgeries for blinding diseases that affect children. Through continuous collaboration of highly-trained Armenian surgeons with U.S. physicians, the Center is committed to excellence both in treatment and service provision to prevent lifetime blindness in Armenia and the region.
Day two of the conference focused on the activities of the AECP and the advances made in eye care, thanks to fruitful cooperation between Armenian and American physicians, authorities, and donors. Presenters highlighted the AECP medical education programs, AECP Mobile Eye Hospital activities, specialty clinics that exist in the Yerevan eye hospitals, and their achievements. As part of the conference AECP presented online training resources on ophthalmology and neonatal medicine developed in partnership with Orange Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
