World Sight Day 2010 will see a very special celebration in Kenya, with The Fred Hollows Foundation joining in national celebrations organised by the Ministry of Health to launch a new mobile diabetic laser clinic.

This mobile clinic will enable eye health professionals in Kenya to detect diabetic retinopathy in rural and urban areas – an essential piece of equipment given the remote locations many people live in.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness has reported that although infectious eye diseases such as trachoma and river blindness are on track for elimination by the target year of 2020, chronic diseases such as diabetic retinopathy are actually growing in prevalence. This makes the launch of equipment used to detect such a disease a very important occasion.