The Preventative Health Journal - Australia & New Zealand

The Fred Hollows Foundation has released its results for 2008, with a record 176,472 people receiving sight-saving eye operations and treatments and over 1.3 million patients being screened in 18 countries worldwide.

CEO for The Foundation, Brian Doolan, says that he is thrilled with the result.

“How good is it to be able to say that our little Australian organisation looked into the eyes of more than 1.3 million people last year, in some of the poorest countries in the world,” Doolan said.

“Frankly, I find that accomplishment to be staggering, and very, very humbling.”

The results represent around a 20% increase in eye operations in just one year. The Foundation also increased the number of eye health workers it trained from 3,284 in 2007, to 5,217 last year.

“That’s 5,217 people in villages, clinics and rural hospitals who today, right now are going about the work of realising Fred’s dream – that no-one on the face of this planet should be needlessly blind,” Doolan said.

In 2008, The Fred Hollows Foundation also completed upgrades to 29 eye health facilities and provided over $1.5 million for vital medical equipment.

The Foundation works in 18 countries throughout the world - carrying on the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows.

Some highlights include:

• More work amongst Indigenous Australians – including successful eye programmes in The Northern Territory and new initiatives to close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians
• Developing new pediatric ophthalmology programs in places such as Pakistan, Vietnam and Cambodia
• The production of the three millionth intra ocular lens from Fred Hollows Intra Ocular Lens laboratories in Nepal and Eritrea
• Reaching into new areas such as Afghanistan, Laos and Rwanda

“We cannot make this kind of difference without the support of the Australian people, who through their donations have been able to help us get on with Fred’s work and give the gift of sight back to thousands more people last year.”

In 2008 The Fred Hollows Foundation was awarded ‘Australia’s Best Practice Not-For-Profit’ by the Givewell Good Giving Guide with an emphasis on being transparent and accountable, whilst delivering thoughtful and practical programs across a range of social dimensions.