07.02.2024

The Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Almaty has got a retinal camera. It will help the doctors timely identify various vision pathologies in newborns, including retinopathy of prematurity. Modern diagnostic equipment appeared at the center thanks to the implementation of “I See the World” project by AYALA Charity Foundation and within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Almaty Public Health Department.

This is the seventh retinal camera transferred for equipping medical centers in Kazakhstan with the help of AYALA Charity Foundation. The Foundation is going to equip another two regional Perinatal Centers in Aktobe and Atyrau with such diagnostic devices in 2024.

FORUS NEO retinal camera (India) allows an ophthalmologist to perform diagnostic assessments even in children in the intensive care settings and in newborns connected to a ventilator – which is not possible with other devices. The camera is easy to use and can be connected with a laptop to store all the information about small patients, photos and video documents on diagnosing their retinopathy. With the use of this equipment the doctors can show changes in the retina during diagnosis, before and after treatment to the parents.

AYALA Charity Foundation has been implementing “I See the World” project for the third year. Using the effective charity approach, the Foundation helped Kazakh ophthalmologists to perform diagnostic examination in more than 4.5 thousand premature newborns in 17 perinatal and scientific centers of Kazakhstan, and has provided them with 26 units of diagnostic and laser surgical equipment. Using the equipment of the AYALA Foundation 100% of premature babies at risk for retinopathy are screened.

“In the Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Almaty, more than 8.2 thousand newborns are born annually, including almost 800 premature newborns with critically low body weight. The retinal camera will help the ophthalmologists of this center quickly and accurately make a diagnosis and provide necessary treatment in a timely manner, which will help save hundreds of children from visual impairment,” Aidan Suleimenova, the Founder and the President of the AYALA Charity Foundation noted.

AYALA Charity Foundation has been implementing “I See the World” project since May 2021 in accordance with the Memorandum with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In October 2023, the Foundation signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery of the Almaty Public Health Department. Over the project implementation period, the level of visual disability in premature children due to retinopathy decreased in Kazakhstan to 0.6 percent.