Orbis International: Fight Against Global Blindness

This case study explores the activities of Orbis International, an international non-governmental blindness-fighting organization with a history of more than 35 years in the field. The imperative issue of global blindness, its causes and remedies, and preventative measures are investigated in the case. In particular, the case explores the immeasurable impact of Orbis in developing countries, where people suffering from eye-related problems are unable to receive proper care and support due to low resources and lack of trained eye-health professionals. Readers learn how the different global programs run by Orbis International facilitate a global community of learning, sharing, and practice and help eye-health professionals around the world. However, whether the organization’s country programs achieve the same level of quality in the developing nations or suffer from inconsistency is debatable. Moreover, some controversy exists regarding the inconsistency in the level of quality of the organization’s program in developing countries compared with other countries. Students are asked to evaluate various issues that Orbis faces.