Alcon Foundation Grant Helps Grow Local Eye Care Specialists
Vision for the Poor secured a $260,000 grant commitment from The Alcon Foundation to help establish a highly-skilled human resources pipeline of ophthalmologists, ophthalmic technicians, and opticians needed to work in six new eye hospitals and 26 new vision centers under development through 2032 as part of our Guatemala National Eye Care Plan. This funding will support the first 3-year cohort of 126 medical and support staff trainees in our Academia de Desarrollo Integral (ADI), a world-class teaching and learning center for ophthalmology.
The ADI will be a nationally and internationally recognized, fully certified training academy furnished with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Students will have access to a surgical wet lab equipped with operating microscopes, surgical instruments, and phacoemulsification machines.
Earliest efforts will focus on:
- Ophthalmology surgical techniques in a simulation lab allowing hands-on experience with cataract and other critical eye surgeries.
- Training optometrists to provide more comprehensive primary care, which emphasizes diagnosis and treatment of trauma, infections, tropical diseases, and retinal diseases (like diabetic retinopathy).
Following this first cohort of 126 students funded by The Alcon Foundation and recruited from across Latin America, future cohorts will include 200 eye care professionals graduated annually in perpetuity.
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About the Alcon Foundation
Alcon provides charitable monetary donations (often referred to as grants) to eligible 501(c)3 organizations that offer high-quality programs and services to increase access to quality eye care, promote eye health education, and strengthen the communities in which we live and work. These donations are offered through the Alcon Foundation. To learn more visit: https://www.alcon.com/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility.