Orbis International is a humanitarian organization that gives local medical personnel in the developing world the tools they need to treat eye disorders. One of its main tools is the Flying Eye Hospital.
Flying Eye is an MD-10 aircraft donated to Orbis by FedEx. The aircraft allows Orbis to bring ophthalmic training to parts of the world that might otherwise not have access. Sometimes, Orbis doctors perform surgeries inside local hospitals. Other times, they operate onboard the Flying Eye.
Inside the aircraft, Orbis has an operating room and a 48-seat classroom that allows local medical personnel to watch surgeries as they are performed. Trainees can communicate with surgeons using a two-way audio/visual system.
Creston is a company that delivers control and automation systems for audio, video, computer, lighting, environmental and IP systems. Creston CEO George Feldstein, a philanthropist and aviation enthusiast, saw an opportunity for his company to make a difference by working with Orbis.
Creston has provided the aircraft with camera control, multimedia processors and distribution systems for both audio and video. The company has put 15 cameras and 17 monitors onboard the Flying Eye.
Creston also outfitted the operating theater with two 24-inch HD touchscreen displays for control and two-way communication. Creston DigitalMedia will control the toggling between cameras to give viewers the best looks at what surgeons are doing in the operating room.
Audio from the operating room will come through Creston speakers, and Creston’s TSW touchscreen devices, similar to tablets, will control all audio and visual equipment.
According to Orbis, 39 million people around the world are blind. Eighty percent of those with visual impairments have conditions that are either treatable or curable, but they have no access to quality eye care.
In addition to treating disorders like childhood blindness, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and retinoblastoma, Orbis teaches medical personnel to perform ocuplastic surgery. This procedure repairs damaged eye sockets, eyelids, drainage and tear production.
It also includes the insertion of artificial eyes.
“Crestron's audio/video solutions will serve as an invaluable advantage in Orbis's mission to continue to save sight worldwide,” said Jack McHale, who directs the MD-10 project at Orbis International. “Crestron's generous donation and state-of-the-art control and automation systems will help us continue to provide the gift of sight to people around the globe.”
Edited by
Braden Becker
