The American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness has reached out to the blind and visually impaired throughout the world from 1976 to present.
The global outreach has evolved over the years to become primarily educational at the present time. The scope of services of the AiPb have ranged from performing eye surgery in remote areas of the world to the donation of computers to blind children in Kenya and in the 21st Century to providing web based education relevant to blindness prevention.
AiPb programs of Community Ophthalmology have been taught worldwide.
AiPb Founders and Directors have traveled to Africa, Asia, Europe and Central and South America to teach and promulgate the science and discipline of Community Ophthalmology. Founding Board Member Dr. Alfred Cannon taught concepts in community medicine, community psychiatry and community ophthalmology with his programs in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.Founding Board Member Dr. Aaron Ifekwunigwe was instrumental in the promulgation of programs of community pediatrics and community ophthalmology during his many missions in Central and South America.
Founder and President Dr. Patricia Bath has lectured throughout the world on Community Ophthalmology, Blindness Prevention and Gift of Sight surgical technology.
In 2005 AiPb began it’s Computer Vision Program to aid the blind, especially blind children. In the USA each state has programs to provide blind children with computers as needed consistent with accessibility and disability laws.
However, blind children in Africa do not have the benefit of such laws and this need was observed when AiPb Co-Founder, Dr. Bath travelled to Tanzania in 2005.
The campaign of one-laptop per blind child was born that moment when she visited the Mwereni School for Blind Children in 2005.