CBM Ireland to Host “A Global Lens on Eyecare” in April

On 21st April 2026, in the Pillar Room at the Rotunda Hospital, CBM Ireland is bringing a range of eye-health professionals together to present on emerging and evolving practices and technologies in eye-care that offer the possibility of bridging the stark equity divide in eye-health provision driven primarily by economic and developmental differences.

Inspired by the development of the Arclight – a low-cost, frugal technology, that is cheap, robust, solar-powered and easy to use – by Dr Andrew Blaikie and the University of St Andrews, the aim is to bring together practitioners from Ireland, the UK, Madagascar and Rwanda, to look at other developing avenues of ophthalmology and optometry that offer potential here in Ireland and overseas.

After nearly two years of putting the Arclight into practice in Madagascar with funding from Electric Aid and the Tom Cunningham Trust, CBM Ireland is keen to share the results of this innovative project. To date over 60,000 children have had their eyes screened for the first time using the Arclight and over 300 have been treated for a variety of illnesses and diseases, including a number of inspiring life-changing and sight-saving stories of infants who otherwise would have died from retinoblastoma. 

Dualta Roughneen, CEO of CBM Ireland, travelled to Madagascar in 2025 to look at how the work was progressing, spoke of meeting one child whose sight was saved thanks to the simple screening by a community health worker using the Arclight:

“There are many levels to the project that impress me. The first is the Arclight itself. It is so cheap , but hardy, and easy to use. Instead of equipment costing hundreds – or thousands of euro – the Arclight can be bought for less than a good pair of runners. And it can be carried around by a community health worker without fearing its fragility. And in rural areas of Madagascar where electricity is not always available, it can be charged in the sun. But the best thing is that it means newborn babies are getting their eyes screened. Thousands of them. And 99% of them are thankfully fine. But the screening catches the 1% and they get the treatment they need. And a couple of days training is enough to learn how to do the screening.”

“This got me thinking. Often Irish healthcare workers travel abroad to do training. Many African doctors and nurses work here. But there is little learning that comes from work overseas that is brought to Ireland. With a rapidly changing population and developments like the Arclight – that can be used here in Ireland – there must be a forum to bridge the divide.”

Speakers include Dr. Andrew Blaikie (founder of the Arclight Project, University of St Andrews), Dr Tunde Peto (Queen’s University Belfast), Dr Sirjhun Patel (West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust), Dr. Kate Coleman (Ophthalmic Surgeon & Founder of iKey), , Dr Gatera Fistom Kitema (University of Rwanda), Jaona Lala Iandrinirina (CBM Global Regional Eye Health Advisor), Dr. Jonathon Jackson (Consultant Optometrist and Director of the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network),  and Dr. Ving Fai Chan (Queen’s University Belfast).  

Dr. Fatima Hamroush, Consultant Medical Ophthalmologist in Drogheda and former Libyan Minister of Health, will join the speakers to offer a multi-layered perspective on healthcare delivery and the challenges facing Africa.

Jason Smyth, Ireland's fastest Paralympian and repeat Paralympian Gold medallist, will share his personal experiences and insights on how vision health can significantly impact a child's development and opportunities. Jason is legally blind, with his central vision being affected by Stargardt's disease, and his story emphasises the universality of the need for quality eyecare.

"Early detection and intervention for vision issues are crucial for a child's overall development," he told Belfast Live previously. Smyth's message to parents and instructors is the importance of regular eye exams cannot be underestimated. "Good vision health is foundational to a child’s development, learning, and overall well-being."

‘A Global Lens on Eyecare’ magnifies this message, in the context of the challenges that come with accessing eye-health services in environments that are challenged by lack of resources, lack of equipment, and unavailability of trained eye-health professionals.

The event is not just for ophthalmologists, optometrists or ophthalmic nurses, and anyone interested can learn more about the speakers  and register on Eventbrite.