- Laos is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia
- The country is very sparsely populated
- Seven million people live in an area seven times the size of The Netherlands
- Nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas
- Agriculture is the main source of income
- The largely mountainous country is poorly accessible
- There are few roads
- There are large gaps in available health care and education
Latest news from Laos
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Cataract made Paiha’s life even more difficult
Paiha lives in Xieng Khouang, Laos. She does not know her exact age, but she thinks she’s 68 years old. Paiha is poor and does not have...
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“Going blind made my mother feel sad and isolated”
Mrs. Mane is 78 years old and lives in Houaphan, Laos. She lives in a small village with her daughter. Her daughter makes some money...
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I lost not only my vision but my pride as well
The life of Mr Meng from Laos came to a halt when cataracts threatened to turn him completely blind. He received cataract surgery which made such an impression...
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What does the Eye Care Foundation do?
In 2007, the Eye Care Foundation visited Laos for the first time. This ultimately resulted in the start of projects in the provinces of Xieng Khouang and Houa Phanh in 2011/2012. In these provinces, support is provided to expand and improve the quality of eye care. The National Programme for the prevention of blindness started in Laos as far back as 1984, but for many people good eye care is still unattainable. Eye care availability remains limited and sometimes non-existent in many districts, especially in villages and remote areas. The Eye Care Foundation is therefore committed to bringing eye care within reach of the villagers. The Eye Care Foundation employs health care workers to help achieve this goal.
Key objectives
- Improving the quality of cataract surgery and pre- and post-operative care
- Increasing the number of cataract surgeries (Cataract Surgery Rate – CSR)
- Expanding the referral system by training basic eye care staff
- Organizing eye exams at schools
Project manager in Laos
At present, the Eye Care Foundation has no field office in Laos. Khounkham Inthasone, the project manager, reports to Elise Kenter, the programme manager for Laos and Vietnam. For medical advice they are assisted by the Dutch ophthalmologist Cees van der Windt (Riverland Hospital), who works on a voluntary basis as a medical advisor for the projects of the Eye Care Foundation in Laos.