In 1992 the DC-8 was replaced with a second-generation Flying Eye Hospital a DC-10 aircraft twice the size of its predecessor that provided extra space needed to accommodate the expanding scope of FEH operations, as well as updated facilities. “There are few occasions in life when an idea takes off and leads to achievements beyond our wildest expectations – when a mission is driven by a vision so clear and compelling that it literally enables others to see it too…Orbis is one of these.” – Former Kofi Annan, UN Security General That same year the Flying Eye Hospital made international news, inspiring the world with sight-saving work that took place on board the DC-8. The airplane’s design allowed for cargo, and in 1982, philanthropist and actress, Dina Merrill christened the FEH before its first mission from Houston to Panama. In 1980 United Airlines donated its oldest DC-8 aircraft to Orbis, which became the very first Flying Eye Hospital (FEH). Given the high costs of tuition and international travel and accommodations that prevented most doctors and nurses in low-income countries from coming to the USA for training, the idea for a mobile teaching hospital was launched in 1973 to deliver training to them at their doorstep and it was appropriately named ‘Project Orbis ‘ Orbis meaning ‘of the eye’ in Latin and ‘around the world’ in Greek. Concerned that a staggering 90% of avoidable blindness occurred in these countries, Dr. David Paton, a faculty member of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, recognized the lack of eye care and ophthalmic teaching in developing nations where blindness was widespread. In the late 1960s, the concept of Orbis began when renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Using cutting edge technology and the innovative use of avionics, hospital engineering and clinical expertise, Orbis is a leading international non-profit that unites people in the organization’s mission to fight avoidable blindness in over 90 countries throughout the globe. Over the past four decades Orbis has provided vital eye care to thousands of people worldwide. Its first flight took place on March 1, 1982. The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an airplane.
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