Page 23 - 2016 Annual Report

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EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY |

CASE STUDY: ARCLIGHT

The Fred Hollows Foundation is
continuing the pioneering spirit of
Professor Fred Hollows by supporting
the development and production of
innovative low-cost technologies that
tackle avoidable blindness. In 2016, the
Arclight was launched for sale by the
International Agency for the Prevention
of Blindness (IAPB). Arclight is a low-cost,
solar-powered ophthalmoscope aimed
at helping health workers in low-income
countries detect signs of blindness.
The easy-to-use, pocket-sized tool
enables users to make instant diagnostic
decisions in the field. Priced at about
$10, it performs as well as traditional
devices costing up to 100 times as much.
After four years of informal testing and
a formal assessment at the International
Centre for Eye Health, London, Arclight
has been endorsed by experts and will be
marketed and sold by IAPB for mass use
by governments and non-government
organisations around the world.