Retinopathy of Prematurity Prevention and Treatment
The programme was launched in 2001. Initially, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation purchased 7 diode lasers for treatment centres in hospitals in Katowice, Łódź, Białystok, Poznań, Szczecin, Gdańsk, and Wrocław.
By the end of 2017, the Foundation equipped all neonatal intensive care units in Poland with 125 ophthalmoscopes (used to see inside the fundus of the eye) and 27 laser devices. Currently, there are 19 treatment centres, which have been equipped by the Foundation and by the end of 2019 doctors have examined and diagnosed 248 096 prematurely born babies and have performed 9 028 laser operations and saved the eyesight of 10 357 babies!
This type of retinopathy is caused by premature birth and it basically means that the retina (part of the eye) is not developed properly yet when the child is born. The damaged retina can eventually cause substantial loss of eyesight and when left untreated in the early stages, can result in loss of eyesight. First symptoms can be diagnosed between 1 and 3 months of baby's life, so doctors need to have access to sophisticated equipment such as laser surgery devices. The best chance to save the child's eyesight is a quick diagnosis, and effective treatment undertakes as early as possible.
Our charity has been raising money to buy medical equipment for children's medicine for almost 30 years. We have raised over PLN 1.5 billion and donated over 65 200 medical devices. We also initiated and help run 8 medical initiatives and one educational programme.
From the very beginning of our charitable work, we focused our efforts on helping medics care for the most vulnerable patients. We want to improve the conditions at public medical facilities nationwide. Our medical programmes became stepping stones in the development of paediatrics in Poland.
Our charity has been fundraising for almost 30 years. In the 29 years of our activity, we managed to raise an impressive sum of over PLN 1.5 billion! Let's see how the fundraiser progressed from the very beginning of our work up till the new, record setting result of 2021 fundraiser.
We can now reveal the date of the next year's Grand Finale fundraiser. The charitable collection will take place on the 30th of January 2022, marking the 30th anniversary of our work. The medical objective will be revealed later this year.
