Apl.de.ap eyes better treatment for children afflicted with retinal disease

APL.DE.AP. PHOTO BY RUBEN NEPALES

MANILA, Philippines – To improve the fight against an eye disease that mainly afflicts children, the Apl.de.ap Foundation International (ADAFI) is set to team up with four hospitals in the Philippines.

In a statement, the foundation that Black Eyed Peas member Apl. de. ap, or Allan Pineda Lindo in real-life said it would collaborate with Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Philippine General Hospital Angeles Medical Center in Pampanga and another hospital in Cebu.

Titled “Apl of My Eye”, the project is a two-year initiative from 2014 to 2016 “that addresses a critical medical concern in the Philippines” – a pediatric eye ailment called retinopathy of prematurity, which according to medical journals, is the abnormal development of retinal blood vessels in the eyes of premature infants. If not addressed, the disease could cause complex retinal detachments and even blindness.

ADAFI will partner with Dr. Thomas Lee, Director of the Vision Center for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, as its principal program partner.

“The campaign would provide a sustainable approach to the diagnosis and treatment of this specialized medical condition,” ADAFI said in the statement.

According to ADAFI, most hospitals in the Philippines are “not as thoroughly familiar” with retino of prematurity and with that, the foundation would team up with the four hospitals to jumpstart the knowledge in the Philippines.

Lee and his team will travel to the Philippines to train the medical staff from the aforementioned hospitals and bring the required equipment to assist in diagnosis and perform demonstration surgeries that Filipino doctors will be observing.

The Apl of My Eye will be the second international project for Lee and his team. The first was a similar multi-year project that helped Armenia to address retino of prematurity under the auspices of USAID Armenia.

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