Noncommunicable Diseases

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death around the world. In India alone, there are nearly 62 million diabetic patients, a number that is expected to rise to 80 million by 2030. There is a large unmet need to provide an affordable, simple and intelligent blood glucose monitoring solution to patients and healthcare workers, and to couple these diagnostics with clinical decision support tools that can allow the transmission of data to specialists, along with public health agencies.

This project will bring education into focus for underserved schoolchildren with uncorrected refractive errors by enhancing and expanding HKI’s innovative ChildSight® program through integration with private optic shops in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam. Follow Helen Keller International on Twitter @HelenKellerIntl"

Presbyopia, or farsightedness, is a significant cause of avoidable visual impairment, blindness and disability, particularly among older adults. Vision impairment due to uncorrected presbyopia affects over one billion people worldwide, 98% of whom live in developing countries. Poor access to eyeglasses and lack of health care professionals to perform eye examinations exacerbate to this issue.

Sustainable glaucoma care via a 4-point plan: Glaucoma awareness programs, Early detection & treatment including rural areas with telemedicine, Build expert human resources using unique educational models and Create centres of excellence (enabling environment) for subspecialty practice. This enhances access to quality & cost-effective care.

While 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas, 90% of the secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities are in urban areas, far away from the rural population. With this project, LV Prasad Eye Institute intends to integrate the community care by taking eye care to rural populations in remote locations, with the tele-ophthalmic stereoscopic slit lamp biomicroscope that connects patients in remote areas with ophthalmologists across distances and in real time. This makes a full eye examination from any place or distance a reality.

Hip dysplasia is one of the most frequently observed congenital anomalies in newborns, diagnosed at a rate of 2 percent in Latin America. The incidence is likely higher, given that diagnostics are limited in remote and marginalized communities. Without early treatment, it can develop into a lifelong physical disability. People in rural areas of Latin America who are offered a solution (typically in the form of a harness), do not receive proper education on how to use it properly, which often leads to abandoned or incorrect application, leading to non-recovery or further injury.

A $112,000 CAD grant to the University of Victoria in British Columbia will exploit the potential of 3D printing, producing fully functional artificial hand prostheses for amputees in Guatemala for just $200 each, including material and fabrication costs. The project is based on a prosthesis design developed 15 years ago by innovator Nikolai Dechev, which recently became financially viable with the advent of high-quality, inexpensive 3D printers.

Building on extensive research and development led by Dr. Matt Ratto at the University of Toronto, the cbm Canada project uses a 3D printer to make a precision-fitted plastic socket to connect a child's residual limb and a standard artificial leg provided by aid agencies. Step one requires a precise digital image of a child's limb: early efforts involved a $200 Xbox scanner accessory used in computer gaming, which follows a player's physical movements to put him or her in the action.

The project will develop a low-cost portable device to accurately measure motor problems in people with stroke. This new measure will improve diagnosis and progress monitoring and lead to better treatment prescription and patient outcomes.

After a stroke, people often have difficulties moving and using their arm, which result in long-term disabilities. We will be testing an affordable virtual reality rehabilitation system. It provides a video game-like environment, allowing stroke patients to practice a variety of specific arm movements. Testing will take place at McGill University and in Malaysia. We hope to show that this rehabilitation system can be effective at improving arm function, independence and well-being in stroke patients. Click HERE to Download the photo below.