The Children’s Eye Foundation of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmologists and Strabismus (AAPOS) has received funding from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) to support educational outreach programs. KTEF awarded $250,000 to CEF’s Stop Infant Blindness in Africa (SIBA) program, as well as $100,000 to the Global Education & Training program.
“The Children’s Eye Foundation of AAPOS is grateful to the KTEF for their continued support of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus and the patients that receive care,” said Christie Morse, MD, executive vice president of AAPOS.
Stop Infant Blindness in Africa (SIBA) was created to prevent retinopathy of prematurity – one of the leading causes of childhood blindness – in Africa. KTEF’s support will help expand SIBA through sub-Saharan Africa, training additional physicians in treatment of retinopathy of prematurity and purchasing equipment for hospitals.
A previous KTEF grant helped SIBA implement retinopathy of prematurity programs at key locations: St. Francis Hospital Nsambya (Kampala, Uganda), the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), and King Faisal Hospital (Kigali, Rwanda). KTEF funds were also used to send two doctors to Aravind Eye Hospitals in India for additional training, and more doctors will receive this educational opportunity in 2025.
“KTEF’s support is helping to change the lives of children,” Morse said.
This will be the second year for the KTEF Ophthalmology Resident/Medical Students Travel Grant, part of the Global Education & Training Program, providing support for 59 medical students or ophthalmology residents to attend the AAPOS annual meeting, providing educational and networking opportunities.
“This program’s success has members excited to continue to support and mentor the next generation of pediatric ophthalmologists,” Morse said.
The Children’s Eye Foundation of AAPOS’s mission is to end preventable vision loss in children and improve the lives of visually impaired children worldwide. The foundation started in 1970 and merged with AAPOS in 2018. The Children’s Eye Foundation raises money for four programs: All Children See, Global Education & Training, Stop Infant Blindness in Africa, and Vision Through Music.
The Knights Templar Eye Foundation was founded in 1956 by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar. Its mission is to improve vision through research, education, and supporting access to care. KTEF has awarded more than $178 million for research, patient care, and education. Grants of more than $39 million have been awarded to researchers in pediatric ophthalmology and ophthalmic genetics.