As a part of transforming eye health, Specsavers supports The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia and The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand, which work to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health, as well as that of our Pacific neighbours.
Since 2013, Specsavers has donated more than $3 million, donates optometry equipment and runs an outreach program that sees optometrists volunteering with specific programs.
“The support from our partners like Specsavers is invaluable. Through the generosity of their store owners, employees and customers they are helping to restore sight and change lives. It’s a great synergy between ophthalmology and optometry, a wonderful example of how businesses and employees can come together to deliver a huge social impact for those less fortunate.” Gabi Hollows, The Fred Hollows Foundation Founding Director.
Support from Specsavers Australia
Donations from Specsavers Australia help fund a project that addresses the unique challenges of delivering quality specialist eye health care to regional, remote and Indigenous communities across Western Australia.
Specsavers, through The Fred Hollows Foundation, supports the workforce requirements of the Lions Outback Vision Van, a mobile eye health clinic that provides outreach optometry and ophthalmology care for people living in remote and rural Western Australia.
In collaboration and partnership, the Lions Outback Vision Van project aims to further develop and build the capacity of local healthcare providers to deliver accessible, equitable, effective, and culturally appropriate eye healthcare.
The vision van consists of three consulting rooms, filled with specialist equipment to address key conditions, such as cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Outreach clinics can involve up to six staff, including an Optometrist, Ophthalmologist, Resident, an Ophthalmology Fellow, the vision van driver and a specialist health service provider, such as the Diabetic Retinopathy Screener or Aboriginal Eye Health Coordinator.
The Lions Outback Vision Van project currently provides specialist eye healthcare services throughout the Pilbara, Kimberley, Goldfields, Midwest and Great Southern regions of Western Australia.
Support from Specsavers New Zealand
Donations from Specsavers New Zealand support the running costs of The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand’s Mobile Eye Clinic in Fiji.
The Mobile Eye Clinic is a purpose-built clinic that was constructed in New Zealand and shipped to Fiji to provide life-changing cataract surgery and treatment to restore sight to the needlessly blind.
Fiji has one of the largest populations in the Pacific and despite having one of the most developed economies in the Pacific, many Fijians still live in poverty. This, and the lack of accessibility to health care services, adds to the challenges that the country faces in providing quality health care to its people.
The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ’s dedicated screening team works alongside the Mobile Eye Clinic, visiting smaller neighbouring villages to screen patients for eye problems, and refer them to the nearby Mobile Eye Clinic as needed.
The clinic can stay in a location longer than the dedicated screening team can, giving patients in remote areas better access to free high-quality eye care.
