The Fred Hollows Foundation, inspired by the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows (1929–1993) shares Fred’s vision for a world where no one is needlessly blind. The Foundation now works in over 19 countries, with its aim being to empower local people to establish government supported, sustainable and comprehensive eye health programs.
Approximately 32.4 million people in the world are blind, with a staggering 80 per cent (four people out of five) of these cases avoidable or treatable. Almost half of these people suffer from a condition called cataract which is a disease that can be corrected by an operation that takes around 20 minutes and costs as little as US$25. Other diseases include trachoma and diabetic retinopathy. People are blind in the world today because they don’t have access to or cannot afford treatment readily avoidable to people living in the developed world.
By mobilising ordinary Australians, the Fred Hollows Foundation raises funds to improve people’s lives in places such as Kenya, Rwanda, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Nepal, and even North Korea, with the Foundation continuing to grow.
In 2013 for example, the Foundation helped more than 4.5 million people worldwide, conducting 449,768 eye operations, procedures and treatments. and training 42,189 eye health workers.
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