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About Nkhoma

Nkhoma hospital is situated in a rural area in the central region of Malawi. It’s about 50km south east of Lilongwe. The hospital is run by the Nkhoma synod of the Presbyterian Church of Central Africa and serves some of the poorest people in the world.

The Eye Department is responsible for providing eye care to the central region of Malawi, and neighbouring Lakeshore District, with a population of about 4 million. The estimated prevalence of blindness is 1%, of which 50% of this is due to Cataract. Glaucoma and Corneal Scarring are the other leading causes of blindness.

The Eye Department, which houses an outpatient clinic, ward and an operating theatre. Their opthalmologists runs regular eye clinics and also do eye surgery – both and the hospital and during outreach (mobile clinics) trips.

CBM UK funds Dr Metcalfe and Dr Dean - two of seven opthalmologists who are covering the whole of Malawi.

More than 17,000 outpatients were seen by the eye department during 2009 and more than 4,400 cataract operations were performed there. The Eye Department also dispenses, and makes and sells glasses – more than 1,000 pairs changed hands here in 2007.

Nkhoma is jointly linked with neighbouring Lilongwe Eye Hospital, to Princess Alexander Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, Scotland. The link provides research, vitreo-retinal service and opthalmic training.