Expanding Access to Sight-Saving Retinal Care
Blindness caused by retinal diseases can often be prevented when treatment is delivered at the right time.
The Mobile Teletherapeutic Eye Care Station – Rwanda was developed to make advanced retinal care available to patients who would otherwise have limited access to specialised services by using teleguided retinal laser treatment supported by retinal specialists with extensive international clinical experience and by local colleagues from the Kabgayi Eye Unit at the Catholic Diocese Hospital.
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Table of Contents
From Clinical Innovation to Global Health
The programme represents the next stage of the SETE/THIRST initiative of the Macula & Genoma Foundation, whose clinical approach is based on two international projects that have already demonstrated the feasibility and safety of therapeutic telemedicine.
The first successfully connected retinal specialists in Rome and Scottsdale, Arizona, performing the first transcontinental teleguided retinal laser treatment between Europe and the United States.
The second, developed through the collaboration between Rome and Kyiv, established the organisational and governance principles required for safe therapeutic telemedicine, introducing the concept of teletherapeutic corridors that combine international expertise with local clinical responsibility.
These achievements provide the scientific foundation on which the Mobile Teletherapeutic Eye Care Station programme is built.
Teleguided Retinal Laser Treatment
Retinal laser treatment remains one of the most effective methods for preventing permanent visual loss in several retinal diseases.
Through secure real-time telemedicine connections, local ophthalmologists perform the laser procedure while experienced retinal specialists participate remotely in treatment planning, clinical decision-making and procedural guidance.
This innovative model allows patients to receive advanced care close to home while benefiting from internationally shared expertise.
Technology connects specialists.
Patients remain at the centre of care.
Why Rwanda?
Rwanda has become an important example of innovation in healthcare and continues to strengthen access to specialised medical services.
The Mobile Teletherapeutic Eye Care Station contributes to this vision by helping expand access to retinal diagnosis and treatment for patients affected by diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases and other conditions in which timely laser therapy can preserve vision.
The project involves the participation of international retinal specialists and local colleagues from the Kabgayi Eye Unit of the Catholic Dioceses Hospital.
A New Model of Care
Each Mobile Eye Station integrates:
- retinal imaging systems
- teleguided retinal laser technology
- secure digital communication
- collaboration with international centres of excellence
Strengthening Local Expertise
The Mobile Eye Station is designed not only to treat patients but also to strengthen healthcare systems.
Real-time collaboration between local ophthalmologists and international retinal specialists creates continuous opportunities for education, mentoring and professional development, helping build sustainable expertise within the local medical community.
Together We Can Protect Vision
Every patient treated represents a life changed.
Every local specialist supported represents stronger healthcare for the future.
By supporting the Mobile Teletherapeutic Eye Care Station programme, you help transform internationally validated scientific innovation into accessible retinal care for communities where specialist services remain limited.
Together, we can reduce avoidable blindness and ensure that advanced retinal treatment becomes available wherever patients need it most.
Scientific Foundations
The Mobile Teletherapeutic Eye Care Station programme is based on the scientific experience of the Macula & Genoma Foundation and the SETE/THIRST initiative, validated through international clinical collaborations and peer-reviewed publications that established teleguided retinal laser treatment and therapeutic telemedicine as safe, effective and scalable models of care.