Fiat Lux Foundation

12/03/2024

It is with immense joy and pride that we announce the opening of the Transcend Eye Hospital, located in Cherangany, Kenya. This three-story facility stands as our largest and most ambitious project to date.

This state-of-the-art hospital is equipped with all the essential components of a comprehensive eye care center, including:

Four outpatient exam rooms

Advanced diagnostic tools, such as OCT and IOL Master

Two ophthalmic lasers

Two operating suites designed for modern cataract surgery

Inpatient wards to accommodate out-of-town patients

A restaurant

A full-service pharmacy

A laboratory for blood work

A minor emergency room

An optical shop offering a selection of 280 frames

Our vision was to create the premier free-standing eye hospital in Kenya—a tertiary care center where patients from across the country could access specialized treatment. Staying true to our principles, the hospital is 100% locally owned and operated, employing a dedicated team of local professionals. Thanks to its sliding scale payment model, the hospital is projected to achieve financial self-sufficiency within two years while providing care to all, regardless of their ability to pay.

This achievement would not have been possible without the continued support and generosity of all of our donors. We are deeply grateful to all who made this dream a reality.

09/21/2023

I am happy and proud to announce the launch of the Boa Visão Eye Hospital in Mozambique. The hospital represents a significant milestone, as it is the first facility conceived and built from the ground up by the Fiat Lux Foundation.

Boa Visão (Good Vision) is a locally-controlled facility that will be led by Dr. Vasco Da Gama, a skilled and dedicated African ophthalmologist whose unwavering commitment to the greater good and financial sustainability aligns perfectly with our Foundation’s mission.

Nestled in Mocuba, within the heart of Zambezia province, Boa Visão is in an ideal location to serve patients not only from across Mozambique but also from neighboring Malawi and Zimbabwe. Mozambique, a country with just thirty ophthalmologists catering to a population of 30 million, will witness an immediate and substantial transformation in eye healthcare.

Last week, we performed over 150 sight-restoring procedures, but that’s not the headline. What matters more, is what we left behind: a state-of-the art eye hospital comprising an outpatient clinic, two immaculate operating rooms, an inpatient ward to accommodate out-of-town patients, an optical shop, and a fully stocked pharmacy. Boasting three lasers, the latest diagnostic and surgical equipment, and the distinction of being Mozambique's first provider of phacoemulsification – a modern advancement in cataract surgery promising quicker recovery – Boa Visão Eye Hospital is poised to revolutionize eye care in the region.

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our donors, countless patients who would otherwise have been destined to live their lives in darkness will be able to see.

Fiat Lux: Let There Be Light!

05/30/2022

Today was a great day. I was proud and thrilled to help break ground on Fiat Lux Foundation’s latest eye hospital project near Kitale, Kenya. The hospital, which will include exam rooms, operating rooms, an optical shop and a pharmacy, will be the only one of its type in an area of 4 million people. It will be equipped with the latest diagnostic and surgical tools and is scheduled to open in one year. If you’re not familiar with the work of our foundation or it’s mission of eradicating blindness through empowerment of local doctors, head over to www.fiatlux.org and take a look. To those who have donated to us in the past, I am incredibly grateful!

10/23/2021

We are pleased to announce the first recipient of the Fiat Lux Foundation medical scholarship.

Dr. Vincent Magubo is a Kenyan physician who has been admitted the the ophthalmology residency program offered by the Rwanda Institute of Ophthalmology in Kigali, Rwanda. The four year program is headed by the husband and wife team of Drs. John Nkurikiye and Wanjiku Mathenge, who will train Dr. Magubo in the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of maladies of the eye. The Fiat Lux Foundation is underwriting the entire cost of Dr. Magubo’s educational expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and meetings, among other costs. At the conclusion of his training, Dr. Magubo is contracted to return to Kisii, Kenya, where he will work alongside Dr. Dan Kiage, as an associate ophthalmologist at Kisii Eye Hospital.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Magubo for his selection.

12/12/2020

We are thrilled to announce that we have broken ground on our latest eye hospital project, this time in Mocuba, Mozambique. The hospital, which is slated to open in late 2021, will include six eye exam rooms, two operating rooms, four hospital rooms with beds for patients from out of town, an optical shop, a pharmacy, and more. The two story building will have 5,600 feet of total space.

06/23/2020

Exciting Update from Kenya! - https://mailchi.mp/776ee7e083ef/exciting-update-from-kenya
We have some exciting news to share with our friends and donors! Fiat Lux Foundation's investment in Kisii Eye Hospital continues to bear fruit, as this week Dr. Leopold Niyonsavye completed a one-year fellowship in comprehensive ophthalmology. Kisii Eye Hospital, which has been financially self-sufficient since 2015, is now training future generations of African ophthalmologists who will spread out across the continent.

01/12/2017

Quick update from Kisii: Last fall, the Kisii Eye Hospital took a major step toward long term financial self-sufficiency when it secured a contract to provide care to subscribers to Kenya's National Health Insurance Fund. The contract has resulted in a flood of new patients and healthy revenue forecasts.

Using a social entrepreneurial business model, doctor Kiage continues to provide care to the poor and uninsured. Last week he performed a corneal transplant on child with keratoconus. Frequent headaches and diminishing eyesight had caused the 12-year-old boy to drop out of school. With the help of Fiat Lux Foundation, a donor cornea was secured and the operation was completed on January 5, 2017. With his eyesight restored, the child has an opportunity to return to school and live a normal life.

11/02/2015

Filmmaker Katie Boyden came to Kenya with us to make a documentary about our work there. The result is this amazing little film! To see the full (9 minute) version, go to our new website: www.fiatluxfoundation.org. Let us know what you think and help spread the word!

10/20/2015

Fiat Lux Neon Art http://www.fiatluxfoundation.org/news/2015/10/20/fiat-lux-neon-art

Thanks to Gary Clayton for providing us with this stunning image of the
literal representation of our foundation's name.

02/12/2015

My friend Geoffrey Tabin will be speaking in Palo Alto tomorrow evening. Geoff is one of the top mountain climbers in the world (the fourth person ever to climb the Seven Summits) and an ophthalmologist who is a leader in the fight to eradicate needless blindness from the world. I am excited that he'll be visiting the Bay Area and delivering what I am sure will be a most entertaining and informative talk. If you're interested in attending, please send an email to [email protected].