The Duchess of Edinburgh highlights the fight against sight loss

It may look like a game, but HRH the Duchess of Edinburgh meant business when she donned a virtual reality headset. She was trying to find out for herself what it is like to carry out delicate eye surgery.

The Duchess has been Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness for nearly 20 years and was at a reception organised by the Orbis charity to highlight the work they are doing to tackle preventable sight loss in some of the world’s poorest countries.

The Royal guest had to have a steady hand when she tried out the state-of-the-art simulator which creates a digital operating theatre with haptic-feedback instruments that mimic the experience of operating on an eye. As it can be packed into a small case, it can be taken to remote parts of the world to help prepare surgeons for the real thing.

Dressed in an electric blue dress with cream heels, the Duchess was among supporters of the charity at the event held at the Gherkin in London on April 13th. Other advancements were highlighted including the use of Artificial Intelligence to support the diagnosis of eye conditions, and the establishment of Women Led Green Vision Centres, which tackle gender related barriers to seeking eye care, in some parts of the world.

Nick Fox, Chairman of Orbis UK, highlighted the scale of the problem, saying: ‘Over 1.1 billion people in the world today are living with sight loss, including blindness. Over 90% of cases are avoidable. To solve this challenge it takes a committed group of people and organisations who are ready to change the world.’

The Duchess of Edinburgh has visited programmes in India and Bangladesh with Orbis to see how lives are affected by preventable blindness. In the past she has talked about the impact it has had on her, saying: ‘I am keenly aware of the vast numbers of blind and visually impaired people across the world whose lives might be very different if they could access treatment.

‘Children are missing out on opportunities to learn, to play, to have big dreams and achieve them, simply because they don’t have access to a pair of glasses or routine surgery.’

For more information about Orbis visit www.orbis.org.uk