Orbis International has announced a $4 million grant from the David & Molly Pyott Foundation in support of the nonprofit’s ongoing work to expand Zambia’s eye-health infrastructure.

The second three-year commitment to Orbis from the eye care-focused foundation established by David Pyott, the former CEO of pharmaceutical company Allergan, and his wife, Molly, will be used to increase the number of ophthalmologists and other eye-care professionals in Zambia. In addition, it will fund the purchase of equipment and supplies and help expand investments in making primary eye care more accessible, while promoting early diagnosis and treatment. Orbis plans to boost demand for eye-health services through community outreach and education, and to strengthen the country’s eye-care system by advocating for increased public spending.

According to Orbis, an estimated 4.4 percent of Zambians are blind, although more than 75 percent of those cases would be treatable or preventable if quality eye care were available. In a country of 18 million people, there are only 33 ophthalmologists.

“[Investing in] eye-care systems and training eye-care professionals is the most important step we can take to ensure that no one in Zambia loses their sight to avoidable causes," said Lucia Nadaf, country director for Orbis Zambia.

"Restoring sight transforms lives. Teaching and educating ophthalmologists is one of the major funding goals of our foundation because enhanced skills for ophthalmologists and eye-health workers enable enduring capacity for improved eye care," said David and Molly Pyott. "The Orbis team accomplished a great deal in the first three years of this project, and we look forward to supporting them as they expand their impact even further in the years ahead."