The Fred Hollows Foundation has had a long association with Eritrea, beginning with Fred Hollows' first visit to the country in 1986. 

After his death in 1993, The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia began working in Eritrea, carrying out Fred's dream of establishing in-country laboratories which produced high quality, low cost intraocular lenses (IOLs) for use in modern cataract surgery. In 1994, his vision became a reality with the Fred Hollows IOL Laboratory officially opened in Asmara. 

Since opening, the lab has sold more than 1.2 million lens for local and export use. Today, it continues to produce high quality low cost IOLs which are exported worldwide. The laboratory is also now self-funded and managed by local staff. Within Eritrea six hospitals use the laboratory IOLs. 

While The Foundation in Australia has been instrumental in promoting eye care and modern cataract surgery throughout Eritrea, there is still lots to be done. Approximately 40,000 people in Eritrea are blind, of which the main cause is cataract. In a country with only eight ophthalmologists just over 2,600 cataract operations are performed annually. 

The long-term goal of the Eritrea Blindness Prevention Program is to help build the capacity of the public health system to treat and prevent blindness.

> Find out more about the program.

Fred Hollows IOL Laboratory
Address: 13 Fred Hollows Street, Asmara, Eritrea
Phone: + 29 1112 0293
Fax: + 29 1112 2532
Email: fhlab@eol.com.er