Celebrating 9 Years of the Liberia Eye Center
Written by LVPEI Communications
Published 1st September 2026
Nine years ago, a simple idea was conceived: bring quality eye care services closer to the people in Liberia. It is this vision that led to the establishment of the Liberia Eye Center (LEC). Today, a partnership between the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), India, and the John F Kennedy Medical Center, the LEC marked nine years of providing comprehensive eye care to communities across Liberia on July 24, 2026.
The Centre stands as a powerful testament to what international cooperation, dedicated training, and compassionate care can achieve. To understand the LEC’s impact, one needs to look beyond the clinical walls and into the broader community. Over the past nine years, the institution has provided vital care to more than 140,000 patients. Crucially, the Centre operates on an equitable care model with a remarkable 37% receiving comprehensive treatment completely free of charge. Out of more than 12,000 sight-restoring surgeries performed, nearly half (48%) were provided at no cost, aligning with LVPEI’s mission of extending equitable and efficient eye care services to underserved populations across the world, with financial status not being a barrier to the gift of sight.
Beyond immediate treatment, the Center’s true legacy lies in local capacity building. The development of vitreoretinal services has strengthened the landscape of retinal care in Liberia by reducing the need for patients to seek treatment overseas and enabling them to access advanced retinal care closer to their homes, families, and communities.
Through rigorous fellowship training at LVPEI, Dr Vickie Fayiah Sam emerged as Liberia’s first Vitreoretinal Surgeon. Today, after the successful completion of her training, Dr Sam has performed 50 retinal surgeries, administered 77 intravitreal injections, and screened 50 premature babies for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). She is currently the Head of the Centre in Liberia.
LEC’s journey to further strengthen its specialized eye care capacity continues with Liberia’s first Glaucoma Specialist, Dr Alan Gobeh, who is currently undergoing glaucoma fellowship training at LVPEI to combat glaucoma, one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide.
Recently, partnering with Lions Club International, the Liberia Eye Centre has taken its mission beyond the capital, establishing satellite Vision Centers at the C H Rennie Hospital in Kakata and Barnersville Health Center to bring primary and referral care directly to rural communities.
Marking this milestone alongside Customer Service Week, the Centre’s staff spent the anniversary engaging patients with essential eye health education. After nine years of restoring sight and transforming lives, the Liberia Eye Centre remains steadfast in its mission: empowering local medical professionals and ensuring every Liberian can experience a brighter, clearer future.
