Garo Meghrigian Institute for Preventive Ophthalmology

To celebrate the World Sight Day, October 14, 2010, Meghrigian Institute has started eye screenings among socially vulnerable school children to detect visual impairments and eye diseases and offer medical assistance.  In September, Meghrigian Institute completed work in the Social Care Center for children of Achapnyak community in Yerevan.  Detailed eye screening was carried out among 112 school children (6-17 years old). In October it targeted 75 school children from “Marry Ismirlyan Orphanage”.  The next stop in November was at “Kharberd Specialized Orphanage”, where 158 children live and they all have special health needs. Meghrigian Institute organizes screenings and provides appropriate medical assistance to children with detected visual impairments or eye diseases, including eye glasses and medication.

Meghrigian Institute Continus the Partnership with Lions Regional Ophthalmic Unit in Sevan, which was established by the joint efforts of the Meghrigian Institute and the Ararat Lions Club (ALC) {funded by Lions Club International Foundation-LCIF}. Since the establishment of this Unit, it served more than 17,300 people and conducted over 980 surgeries. CHSR prepares annual update report for the LCIF headquarters.

The Meghrigian Institute is organizing Continuous Medical Education courses at the National Institute of Health (NIH) for the ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses working in polyclinics of Gegharkunik marz.  NIH will organize the trainings based on the curriculum that the Meghrigian Institute developed.

In Winter-Spring, 2010-2011, Meghrigian Institute in collaboration with the Lions Regional Ophthalmic Unit (ROU) in Sevan is organizing outreach visits for adult population in remote and poor villages of Gegharkunik and Tavush marzes with focus on eye problems and cataract detection.  After identification of villages the village population will be invited for eye screening to identify eye pathologies, prescribe glasses, and provide frames as needed.  In case of having other than refractive error the ophthalmologist of Meghrigian Institute will refer the residents of these villages for detailed diagnosis and/or treatment to the ROU in Sevan.  Outreach visits will be organized once a week on Thursdays. Two villages were covered in December, 2010, in Gegharkunik and Tavush marzes.