Orbis International

On May 14, 2026, Orbis achieved a major milestone by deploying artificial intelligence to screen premature babies in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for retinopathy of prematurity—the leading cause of childhood blindness globally. This world‑first initiative marks a significant advancement in neonatal eye care in low‑resource settings.

On May 11, 2026, Shelby Stonecipher, Senior Business Development Officer at Orbis, attended the Women Deliver 2026 conference in Melbourne. The event reaffirmed the intersection of eye health with gender equality, highlighting how vision care is integral to empowering women and girls globally.

In early May 2026, Orbis announced the appointment of Kathleen Sherwin as its new Chief Executive Officer. As a globally respected leader with deep alignment to Orbis’s vision, Sherwin’s appointment signals a new chapter in steering the nonprofit toward expanded impact in global eye care.

On May 7, 2026, Orbis, in partnership with FedEx, received a Best Halo Award for their collaboration “Delivering Sight Worldwide.” This recognition highlights the impactful work achieved through their combined efforts to expand access to quality eye care globally.

On May 6, 2026, Kathleen Sherwin, Orbis’s President and CEO, reflected on her recent visits in April to Orbis programs in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mongolia. During these visits, she engaged with local teams in hospitals, training centers, and community‑based programs, reinforcing Orbis’s commitment to grassroots capacity building.

As of early 2025, the Flying Eye Hospital has been grounded due to required inspections and repairs. While this temporarily halts the aircraft’s deployment, it underscores the importance of maintaining safety and operational standards for such unique mobile medical infrastructure.

In June 2016, Orbis unveiled its third‑generation Flying Eye Hospital—a converted McDonnell Douglas MD‑10 donated by FedEx. The aircraft featured enhanced capabilities including 3D surgical tech, a 46‑seat classroom, sterilization and operating rooms, its own water treatment plant, and improved safety systems—emulating a land‑based hospital in the sky.

In 2010, Orbis expanded its permanent country programs by establishing an office in South Africa. This addition continued the organization’s strategy of strengthening local eye care systems through multi‑year projects, training, and partnerships in regions with high need and existing infrastructure.

On April 7, 2008, Orbis announced its plan to replace the existing DC‑10 Flying Eye Hospital with a newer DC‑10 Series 30 freighter. This move, supported by United Airlines and FedEx donations, aimed to modernize the aircraft infrastructure and maintain the organization’s operational effectiveness for global ophthalmic training.

In June 2003, Orbis launched Cybersight, a pioneering telemedicine and e‑learning platform offering long‑distance mentoring, case consultations, lectures, and educational materials to eye care professionals worldwide. This innovation broadened Orbis’s impact by supporting remote learning and expert guidance across countries and continents.

In June 1999, Orbis shifted strategy to focus on strengthening in‑country capacities by launching long‑term country programs. The first such offices were established in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam. This approach expanded Orbis’s impact beyond mobile missions to sustained, locally integrated eye‑care development.

In 1994, after her conversion, the new DC‑10 Flying Eye Hospital embarked on its first mission, taking off for Beijing, China. This milestone marked the transition to a more capable mobile hospital and represented Orbis’s expanded commitment to delivering eye care training and services in underserved regions of the world.

In 1992, Orbis purchased a DC‑10 aircraft to replace its aging DC‑8. Funded by private donations, this more spacious jet allowed for expanded surgical and training capacity. After a two‑year conversion period, the DC‑10 flying hospital would enable broader reach and more advanced facilities for global ophthalmic programs.

On January 1, 1982, the first‑generation Flying Eye Hospital—a converted DC‑8 jet donated by United Airlines—was christened at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas. This aircraft became the world’s first mobile teaching hospital, equipped to deliver live training and surgical mentorship in developing countries, representing a pioneering leap in global ophthalmic education.

In 1973, Dr. David Paton, director of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, conceived the idea of a mobile ophthalmic teaching facility to address the widespread lack of eye care and training in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Alongside supporters including A.L. Ueltschi, Betsy Trippe Devecchi, Thomas Knight, and others from Greenwich, CT, this concept laid the foundation for what would become Orbis International, merging the Latin and Greek meanings of “eye” and “around the world.”

Also in 1973, Project Orbis was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization, committed to delivering training to eye care professionals around the world. The name ‘Orbis’ symbolizes the mission: Latin for “of the eye” and Greek for “around the world.” This formal founding marked the beginning of the organization’s global efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness.