A new way to see reality

A conversation with Andrew Bastawrou

It was possible to breath interest and energy among GG students while the guest was telling his story about himself and his life. He started from a world report on vision and who needs a pair of glasses, underlining the immense power of a pair of glasses for every single citizen of a country.

Dr. Andrew Bastawrous is Co-Founder & CEO of Peek Vision, a registered company who uses smartphone technology enabling eye checks to be conducted in homes-communities and schools. He is an ophthalmologist and clinical associate professor in International Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He undertook research projects in over twenty countries including two years of life in Kenya where he studied eye diseases and the development-testing of Peek.

According to him “Opportunities are equal for everyone but the important issue concerns to use them in a responsible way”.

Thanks to his multiple experiences and trips all around the world, he can offer lots of opinions about the contemporary challenges of the globe and the condition of population in certain areas of the world. In Third World’s countries the access to mobile phones is superior to the water one: the technological instruments would be the best ways to trigger a “switch”in the international status quo

The Vision of Peek is to achieve health for everybody and the Mission is to create technology and health intelligence to empower services for population to deliver quality and health care to everyone. A simple action as “see” needs to be public, open, possible for every individual that deserves to appreciate the beauty of the world.

36 million people worldwide are blind and the solution to their problems could be very easy to put in practice but instruments and resources are not disposable. Patients create in their minds lots of expectations about reality, ensuring “reality” could be difficult because of the presence of fear, bad services, distances and costs.

This important guest has been invited by a Global Governance student form the second year. He was very interested in Andrew’s job:

”Andrew Bastawrous represents at least for me what our course is really about. Bringing a speaker and game changer like him to our Global Conversation was truly inspiring for all of us. He is a model that needs to be followed if we want to see a real change in this world. He was able to transform something technical and difficult, mobile phones, as an instrument to help people that live in a hostile environment full of problems. It is awesome how useful can be a small metal box with a display could help thousands of people or an entire population; “to see“is the simplest action ever experienced by humans, but it deserves lots of attention”.

Francesca Virzì

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.“
Carol Burnet

Energy, determination and happiness are three simple words that can describe me. I love travelling and discover new things. Art is the main inspiration of my life and I have fear of everything. I can speak spanish, french and english. I love helping people and the protection of environment is my biggest awareness.