AECP Electronic Bulletin 2011 H1

2011- # 1

electronic bulletin “BRINGING SIGHT TO ARMENIAN EYES” PROGRAM 2011 SCHEDULE AND 2010 RESULTS

In 2010, the AECP examined 28,592 people (total 274,031), performed 1,411 surgeries and laser treatments (total 12,065), and provided 7,005 eye glasses (total 34,285). All services were free of charge. During this period, the AECP mission visited the marzes of Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Armavir, and Ararat. As a separate program, the AECP worked in Nagorno Karabakh.

For 2011, the schedule of the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) program “Bringing Sight to Armenian Eyes” is as follows: Kotayk-March/April; Tavush-May; Lori-June/ July; Shirak-August/September; Aragatsontn-October/ November.

The AECP mission, as usual, is complementing eye screenings, surgeries and laser treatments with trainings for regional ophthalmologists and family doctors. In the near future, the AECP plans to build on the local capacity and delegate eye screenings of the population exclusively to the local medical personnel. The latter will refer potential patients for treatment to regional centers or to the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital during its scheduled visits to their marz.

The AECP continues its program “Prevention and Treatment of the Prematurity of Retinopathy (ROP) in Armenia”. Its launch was preceded by the AECP medical mission and international conference in 2010.

In accordance with the respective decree of the RA Ministry of Health, the AECP-trained physicians regularly screen all premature infants in the ROP risk group in

"BRINGING SIGHT TO ARMENIAN EYES" PROGRAM 2011 SCHEDULE AND 2010 RESULTS

JOINT EFFORTS TO HELP THE MOST VULNERABLE

COOPERATION WITH CHILDREN OF ARMENIA FUND COUNTDOWN TO 2020 BENEVOLENT CONCERT GIFT OF SIGHT

sight bringing

to armenian eyes the armenian eyecare project aygestan 5, house 7 yerevan, armenia phone (374 10) 55 90 68 fax (374 10) 57 76 94 i n fo @ e ye c a re p ro j e c tarmenia.com

all Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Yerevan. Over 230 infants have already been screened (more than 1000 examinations performed) and 30 out of those infants have received laser surgeries.

The AECP continues to administer the ROP telemedicine program. Thanks to this initiative, the Armenian and international ROP experts have regular consultations on all ROP cases found in Armenia.

IN THIS ISSUE

p.o. box 5630 newport beach, ca 92662 phone 949.675.5767 fax 949 673.2356 aecp@eyecareproject.com

www.eyecareproject-armenia.com www.eyecareproject.com

The AECP Armenia office has launched a website in Armenian and Russian languages. It has links to the AECP U.S. office website and profiles in social networks.

www.eyecareproject-armenia.com Founded in 1992, in the United States by an American-Armenian ophthalmologist Roger Ohanesian, M.D., the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) is a California based nonprofit corporation dedicated to the elimination of preventable blindness in Armenia. In 2003, the AECP established an office in Yerevan and launched its program “Bringing Sight to Armenian Eyes.” The Initiative has five comprehensive, integrated components developed to eliminate preventable blindness. They include direct patient care, medical education and training, public education, research and capacity building. More than 275,000 people have been screened and over 12,000 sight-saving surgeries and laser trea ments have been performed in the Mobile Eye Hospital. The AECP has been a USAID partner since 2004.

This publication was made possible with the support of the American People through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP).

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the U.S. Government.

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JOINT EFFORTS TO HELP THE MOST VULNERABLE Thanks to the collaboration of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the AECP, over 700 people received free-of-charge eye screening, about 200 eye glasses were provided, and 17 patients were referred to the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital for eye surgery at no cost.

The Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin and the AECP have been cooperating since 2008, however, the last year was exceptionally active and effective in this sense. It could be ascribed to the fact that benevolence plays a crucial role in the activities of the Church and the AECP, moreover, both have direct connections with dedicated benefactors from the Armenian Diaspora, hence it is natural that their paths would cross often.

The first joint action took place on September 23, 2010 when a Sports and Arts Center (called Hayordats Tun in Armenian) was opened in Vanadzor. It was constructed and equipped thanks to the donations of Diasporan supporters, led by Sargis and Ruth Bedevians from the United States and coordinated by the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Sargis and Ruth Bedevians have been cooperating with the AECP for already many years. They have provided numerous donations for conducting eye screening and treatment in different regions of Armenia. At their request, the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital was stationed near Vanadzor’s Sports and

Arts Center on the opening day. Prior to that event, eye screenings took place for children attending the Center - over 200 kids had the opportunity to check their eyes; 58 out of these children were identified with various eye disorders, mainly refraction related. Activities were coordinated with the support of the Gugarats branch of the Armenian Apostolic church.

The second joint event took place from November 16 to 20 and included two episodes: eye screening for children at the Sports and Arts Center after Harry and Susan Toufaians in Etchmiadzin and for adults attending the soup-kitchens at the Sports and Arts Centers of the communities Qanaqer-Zeytun, NorNork and Malatia-Sebastia in Yerevan.

The Sports and Arts Center of Echmiadzin exists since 2003. It was reopened in 2008 after major reconstruction and was named after the donors Harry and Susan Toufaians. Today it is an important center for sports, leisure and arts for about 600 children.

Though there is a specialized medical unit working in the Center’s premises, eye screening of

such scale was conducted for the first time. During the two days that the AECP doctors worked in the Echmiadzin Sports and Arts Center, they checked 297 children while 62 out of them were identified with different problems. The majority of children learnt about having eye disorders for the first time.

The people attending soup-kitchens constitute a particularly vulnerable layer in the Armenian society. It is painful to realize that there are still individuals surviving on the lowest step of the social ladder, in an extreme need for care. The Armenian Apostolic Church does everything possible to help these people. The request of the Church to assist these people with eye care and treatment was fully supported by the AECP. The AECP doctors worked at the soup-kitchens in Sports and Arts Centers of the communities Qanaqer-Zeytun, Nor-Nork and Malatia-Sebastia in Yerevan for three days. They checked the eyes of 209 people, 17 of them were referred to the Mobile Eye Hospital for detailed examination and treatment, and 169 received eye glasses.

COOPERATION WITH CHILDREN OF ARMENIA FUND The AECP performed a joint eye screening and treatment program with the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) in the Baghramyan region of Armavir marz in the fall of 2010. Successive to several AECP/COAF programs back in 2007, the idea of this initiative was after the presidents of both organizations, Dr. Roger Ohanesian and Dr. Garo Armen.

The multifaceted activities of the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) have changed the Baghramyan region immensely. As for the healthcare sector, COAF renovated and fully equipped the polyclinic of the local regional center in the Myasnikyan village, complementing that with continuous capacity development of the local medical personnel.

To make eye care more accessible to the residents of the Baghramian region, the COAF and AECP made some arrangements, according to which the local ophthalmologist conducted eye screenings in the region and surrounding villages. As a result, over 400 people were screened, while more than 50 were

diagnosed with different eye disorders, 30 out of these people had the status of socially vulnerable citizens and received free-of-charge surgeries in the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital, stationed in Myasnikyan from October 25 to 30, 2010.

The COAF representatives noted that the mere fact of stationing the Mobile Eye hospital in Myasnikyan had a tremendous importance for the village, which received widespread attention. Besides, this program considerably increased the capacities of the local medical staff in providing quality eye care to people.

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AUSTRALIAN EXPERT RETURNS TO ARMENIA Renowned Australian pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. James Smith was back to Armenia in the fall of 2010. Dr. Smith conducted a number of medical consultations and eye screenings at the Malayan Ophthalmologic Center and in several Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) of Yerevan.

As it was mentioned, the AECP continues consultations to the Armenian ophthalmologists When asked to share his impressions on the to administer the ROP telemedicine program and neonatologists and participated in eye progress of the Armenian doctors involved in thanks to which Armenian and international screenings and laser surgeries. the ROP program, Dr. Smith answered: “There is ROP experts discuss electronically all no need to worry about the ROP ROP cases found in Armenia. Australian program here in Armenia any ophthalmologist Dr. James Smith was in more. Everything runs very well.

Armenia with the AECP medical mission The Armenian doctors work at an in 2010 and continues to participate in extremely high professional level, the AECP ROP telemedicine program, by and more importantly, Armenian providing consultations to his Armenian infants are being saved from going colleagues. blind.”

In addition, Dr. Smith paid a visit to Among the challenges Dr. Smith Armenia in October of 2010. He had an prioritized the need of enlarging international conference scheduled in the scope of preventable actions Europe, and as a citizen of a very remote in the fight against ROP, with country, confessed that had considered compulsory joint participation the distance between Yerevan and of ophthalmologists and Berlin rather small to miss the chance neonatologists. of evaluating the progress of the ROP Dr. Smith is convinced that there program in our country. is a need for more investments, The number of little patients lined up including new medical equipment to be examined by Dr. Smith was quite items, innovative methods of large, as well as the number of questions diagnosis and treatment and more accumulated during the first months of professional efforts. According to the ROP program implementation on Dr. James Smith, there are still many both sides. Dr. Smith provided individual things to do.

COUNTDOWN TO 2020 The AECP, in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development, marked the celebration of the World Sight Day 2010, with the presentation of the analytical brochure “Countdown towards 2020: Activities and Statistics.” adults who underwent the AECP screening and were diagnosed with visual impairment, had cataract. The proportion of the population having at least one eye disease causing blindness (glaucoma, cataract, corneal diseases, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration) in the country is 13.3%. The cataract is the most widespread eye disease in Armenia. At the same time, only 24% of those who have cataract in both eyes have had cataract surgery at least in one eye. Eye diseases are more prevalent among 50 year-old and above population. The prevalence of eye diseases causing blindness among the 50+ population is 2.8 times higher than that among the population on the whole and is 37% as opposed to 13.3% for the general population. For the first time, all mentioned figures were estimated not only for the country, but also mapped at the level of marzes of the RA and presented in the brochure.

You may download the electronic version of the brochure from the section “Publications” of our website

The World Sight Day (WSD), celebrated worldwide at the VISION 2020 initiative, is meant to voice the problems of those who have eye problems and to remind the world of its commitments.

The motto of WSD 2010 was “Countdown to 2020”.

It called for summing up the activities and accomplishments in this field and for prioritizing reasonable planning of the work to be done before 2020, including the realization of the National Blindness Prevention Program (NBPP) goals.

The AECP, in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development, was pleased to mark the celebration of the WSD 2010 with the presentation of the analytical brochure “Countdown towards 2020: Activities and Statistics” at the Congress Hotel in Yerevan on October 14, 2010.

The brochure sums up the results of the work done by the AECP since its establishment in 1992,

touches upon the main initiatives and achievements, and presents, for the first time, the results of its scientific research, which would allow estimating the eye health of the population and evaluating the eye care demand for the country. In addition, following the logic of the global “Countdown to 2020,” the publication provides certain information on the accomplishments of the RA NBPP, initiated by the Ministry of Health, and the AECP contribution in reaching the goals set up in the RA NBPP. According to AECP estimates presented in the brochure, the most widespread eye diseases among the RA population are cataract (8.4%) and fundus diseases (7.9%). The AECP data revealed that 0.7% of the population in the country is blind and another 4.1% has low vision. Thus, 4.8% of the population is visually impaired, and it is mainly caused by cataract. More than half (50%) of the

http://www.eyecareproject-armenia.com

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BENEVOLENT CONCERT FOR PREVENETION OF INFANTILE BLINDNESS A benevolent concert dedicated to the prevention of blindness of Armenian premature infants was organized jointly by the AECP and the Vardanyan Quartet at Arno Babajanyan concert hall on March 3, 2011.

Ms. Astghik Vardanyan, founder and first violin of the Vardanyan Quartet and her friends came up with an initiative to organize a benevolent concert in support of the AECP program “Prevention and Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) in Armenia.”

“Save Armenian infants from going blind” was the motto of the concert organized jointly by the Vardanyan Quartet and the Armenian EyeCare Project on March 3, 2011. The concert hall of Arno Babajanyan was full with music fans.

Among them were representatives of diplomatic missions, NGOs and business community who came to enjoy the concert, e.g. the Ambassador of Germany in Armenia, Mr. Hans-Jochen Schmidt, the General Director of Orange Armenia, Mr. Bruno Duthoit and others. The partners of the AECP in ophthalmology and healthcare were present as well.

The charity concert, apart from giving the audience this wonderful opportunity to enjoy the great music by the young and a very promising group - the Vardanian quartet, voiced the problems that many premature infants face in the fight against preventable blindness in Armenia.

The AECP Country Director, Dr. Nune Yeghiazaryan briefly presented the AECP efforts in this sector.

Estimates show that each year about 600 premature infants born in Armenia are in the ROP risk zone, and about 200 out of them may go blind, if not diagnosed and treated immediately. This is about a number of children with an increasing trend. A video-snapshot about the AECP ROP program and medical mission 2010, shown before the concert, presented some very dramatic moments when Armenian and American doctors saved the first premature infants from going blind.

The concert itself had a very rich program. The performers played the works by Haydn, Mozart, Smetana and Boccherini. A surprise was awaiting the listeners, when the Spanish flamenco joined the sounds of classical music. This created an incredible atmosphere for everybody.

The AECP expresses its deepest appreciation to the Vardanian Quartet for contributing to the cause and promoting ideas of benevolence. The AECP thanks all and everyone who joined the AECP in its ROP initiative either through donations or support. It is very gratifying to see our joint efforts in saving Armenian infants from lifetime darkness rewarded, and every initiative in this regard has great humanistic impact. All collected funds will reach their recipients very soon.

The Vardanyan Quartet was established in Yerevan, in January 2010. Astghik Vardanyan, the first violin, started her quartet carrier in 2005 in London, at the Royal College of Music, by founding the Vardanyan Quartet. In 2010, after returning to Armenia, she revived the quartet with a new staff - talented young musicians Ashot Dumanyan (violin), Mary Dolmazyan (viola), and Artyom Naghdyan (cello). During the first year of its career the Quartet has already performed in the best concert halls in Yerevan on its own and in cooperation with other musicians. The Vardanyan Quartet is also active in various educational and charity projects in Armenia. The group has very exciting plans for the future.

Karine Hovhannisyan (piano) was born in Yerevan. She graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatoire, majoring in piano. Then she did post-graduate studies as an organist. She was the organist and harpsichordist in the Armenian State Conservatoire “Baroque” group and “Naregatsi” Chamber Music Society from 2000-2009. She had performances in Russia, Germany, UK and France.

Harutyun Ohanyan (guitar) was born in Yerevan.

Since 2006, he has been teaching at Al. Spendaryan special music school. He is also the founder of the “Guirtar Project” trio in Yerevan.

GIFT OF SIGHT Good professionals worked with my daughter…

Victoria was a very expected child in the family.

That was the first pregnancy and the first child for her mother, Emma, after ten years of expectations and anxiety. The entire period of pregnancy was very hard and with many complications. Victoria was born through Cesarean section and was shortly diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

Apart from the vision problems, the child had lung problems as well.

We have met Victoria’s father, Robert, who shared the emotional experience of their family for that particular period: “This is our first baby. Since we got married, we wanted a child very much, but all our efforts were unsuccessful. During ten years, our great love and faith helped us keep our family and hope that someday we would have a child. At last, after numerous consultations and treatments, Emma got pregnant and our daughter Victoria was born. Due to several circumstances, our daughter

was born prematurely. She was very weak. These were really hard times both for Emma and our daughter. We named our daughter Victoria just for her will of overcoming all the hardships with her health.”

The ROP screening for Victoria was arranged

by Dr. Nune Yerkanyan. The laser procedure was performed by Dr. Tadevos Hovhannisyan. Both of the eyes were saved from retinal detachment and blindness.

We have asked Victoria’s father about the impressions of the procedures they got acquainted with during the screenings and treatment. “The NICU associate informed me about the problem. He told me that ROP was found after eye screenings, and my child needed treatment. Actually, I knew that there were such eye screenings being performed here” Robert said “My daughter was already at the NICU when the doctors of your organization visited us. Victoria was too small and needed to grow up a bit to be able to undergo eye screenings. As I was often visiting my child, I had the chance to meet regularly the parents of the children being already treated. The good results and opinions from other parents helped me stay confident when giving my consent for Victoria’s treatment.”

We met once again the Asoyan family at the Malayan Eye Center during one of their regular visits for eye checkups. Victoria was doing very well and reached her normal weight already. In response to our follow up enquiry Robert said “Now, when I see the success, I can only say that good professionals

have worked with my daughter, and the words are not sufficient to express my gratitude to your organization.”

The AECP ROP program envisions weekly visits to all neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Yerevan. The AECP trained screeners arrive to the NICU with a retinal camera (RetCam) and indirect ophthalmoscope to perform screenings. A laser treatment is arranged, if identified necessary. Many parents, who cannot afford a treatment abroad, now may benefit from the program.