Experience eyecare in the Himalayas

Jon Baines Tours, a specialist travel company curating professional and cultural study tours, is offering two ophthalmic tours in 2026, one traversing Nepal and Bhutan and another exploring historical and contemporary Japan.

The Nepal and Bhutan trip, 15–27 March 2026, begins and ends in Kathmandu, with stops in Bhutan’s Thimphu, Punakha and Paro. As well as experiencing the region’s historic architecture, serene temples and stunning scenery, participants also get to spend quality time with the ophthalmologists and allied personnel who provide eyecare to some of the most remote Himalayan communities, including Nepal’s not-for-profit Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, founded by renowned ophthalmologist and innovator Dr Sanduk Ruit.

Warmly recommending Jon Baines’ professional tours is optometrist Carolyn Parker, who participated in a Nepal optometry tour in April 2018. “It was excellent, especially Himalayan Eye Hospital, very welcoming and they had prepared well for our visit.”

The guide for this trip is Dr Brendan Moriarty, a special advisor with the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Dr Moriarty has extensive eyecare experience in the developing world and was medical director at Orbis, the internationally renowned Flying Eye Hospital. He spent two years as fellow to the UK’s Medical Research Council, devising laser treatment to prevent blindness from sickle cell disease. During his time in Jamaica, Dr Moriarty established free cataract facilities and introduced the rubella prevention programme to tackle childhood blindness. In his spare time, he enjoys blues music and plays the guitar and harmonica.

Japan post-BCLA tour

Run in conjunction with the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) congress in Tokyo, this one-week tour (1–7 June 2026) includes visits to some of Japan’s most fascinating places, including the spectacular Kamikochi region, Miyajima Island, Kobe, Hiroshima and Kyoto.