The oDocs nun ophthalmoscope, a key part of the Kenyan outreach. Credit: Kellyine Ogwoka

On a mission to end preventable blindness, oDocs Eye Care and Berlin-based medical app developer Glaucare have teamed up with Kisii Eye Hospital in Kenya to perform eye health checks in rural areas with little to no access to eyecare.

Key for the outreach and weighing in at just 7.5kg is Glaucare’s ophmo case, a carry-on-luggage-sized mobile eye clinic, said Dr Ben O’Keeffe, oDocs co-founder and director. The case includes an oDocs nun ophthalmoscope, a portable slit lamp, a tonometer, a blood pressure monitor, a blood-glucose monitor, a visual acuity display board, relevant accessories and an iPad. Using the tools in the case, trained medical assistants or clinicians can triage patients and conduct individual tests on site, he said.

During a pilot trip earlier this year, the hospital’s outreach team brought the ophmo case to Nyacheki, a rural area in Kenya. Using the portable slit lamp, they identified 14 patients with cataracts in one day, said Johannes Vegt, Glaucare managing director. “Aside from ophthalmological care and referral for diagnosis and required treatment, medical information gathered using the ophmo case can be integrated as part of the patients’ medical records and used as a basis for comparison upon re-examination.”

Further development of the ophmo (a portmanteau of ‘ophthalmology’ and ‘mobility’) kit will include an app whose dashboard will display key health information, he said, adding Glaucare aims to distribute 400–500 units within the next two years, initially focusing on Angola, Ghana, Congo and Kazakhstan.

Social enterprise Kisii Eye Hospital conducts weekly mobile clinics targeting a rural population of over two million people. “This collaboration between oDocs, Glaucare and Kisii Eye Hospital is particularly meaningful, with a collective mission of ending preventable blindness globally,” Dr O’Keeffe said.