Regional Eye Centers

Five Centers for $5 Million

When the Armenian EyeCare Project arrived in Armenia in 1992, the health care system was 30 years behind. With devastation from wars, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a tragic earthquake, health care in Armenia was virtually nonexistent. While the Project has transformed the eye care delivery system in Yerevan, two-thirds of the population live too far away to take advantage of the state-of-the-art care available in Armenia’s capital.

Our Mobile Eye Hospital partially addresses the need for care, but it takes two years for the “eye bus” to visit all the regions throughout Armenia and, for many, this is far too long between visits. That’s why we’re embarking on our biggest project yet — Five-for-Five — developing five Regional Eye Centers throughout Armenia for $5 million by 2020.

Working with the Ministry of Health and local governments, we will be developing local eye centers in the regions of Armenia where they’re needed most. These centers— located in Ijevan, Tavush; Spitak, Lori; Gyumri, Spitak; Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor; and Kapan, Syunik — will provide access to eye care for the two million Armenians who live outside of the country’s capital city and ensure that all Armenians have access to eye care all of the time.

All five of these Regional Eye Centers will also be equipped with the most advanced equipment and telecommunications technology, meaning that local surgeons will be able to communicate in real-time with ophthalmologists in Yerevan and abroad for additional guidance and mentoring.

The first center, the Haig Boyadjian AECP Regional Eye Center, opened in Ijevan, Tavush in 2015; the John and Hasmik Mgrdichian AECP Regional Eye Center opened in Spitak, Lori in 2016; the Kapan Regional Eye Center opened in Kapan, Syunik in 2017; the John Ohannes Khachigian AECP Regional Eye Center opened in Gyumri, Shirak in 2018 and the Vahakn Aglamishian AECP Regional Eye Center opened in Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor in 2020.