VISION 2020 LINKS in action – Malawi

The VISION 2020 LINKS team has a longstanding relationship with Malawi, starting with a LINK partnership in 2007.

In 2025, the LINKS team, in partnership with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), launched a mobile app designed to improve access to eye care services in the country.

The platform allows healthcare workers, particularly in remote areas, to access Malawi’s standard eye care guidelines offline, ensuring evidence-based care even where internet is limited. It also integrates continuing professional development (CPD) points, enabling practitioners to earn credits while using the guidelines in daily practice.

The team who developed the app included: Marcia Zondervan and Dr Thokozani Zungu, co-PIs of the Malawi Eye care treatment and Guidelines Hub Application (ME-TAG) project; Professor Petros Kayange, head of KuHeS; Dr Shaffi Mdala, President of the Ophthalmological Society of Malawi; Dr Caroline Styles, NHS Fife; and Dr Cova Bascaran, International Centre for Eye Health.

Co-PI Marcia Zondervan said: “We are very excited to have developed this resource with the team at KUHeS. It is the first time that an offline eye health app has been available to remote community eye health workers and can be used as a template for other countries who are seeking to improve eye care skills in their area.”