South Asia

Cataract is the number one cause of blindness in Asia with other major causes including glaucoma, trachoma, diabetic retinopathy and eye conditions. More than 90% of people who are blind live in developing countries and more than 80% are 50 years of age and older.

Fred Hollows first became involved with South Asia after a visit to Nepal in the 1980s. From that point Fred Hollows, and later The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia, has worked tirelessly to treat and prevent cataract blindness throughout the region.

Working closely with local partners including the Tilganga Eye Centre in Nepal, The Foundation has established programs in Nepal, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Support for the program in Nepal is also provided by The Fred Hollows Foundation United Kingdom.

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    Photo courtesy of The Fred Hollows Foundation The Fred Hollows Foundation's program in Afghanistan will provide training for Afghani eye health personnel in Peshawar in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. Due to the current security situation this training program has been postponed.
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    Photo courtesy of The Fred Hollows Foundation. There are approximately 750,000 people who are blind in Bangladesh, 75% of whom live in rural areas. The Foundation is working to improve access to quality eye care for these people by improving the capacity of district eye care services to treat and prevent blindness.
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    Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/meanestindian/ There have been various activities undertaken by The Fred Hollows Foundation to support blindness prevention and treatment activities in India. The Foundation plans to develop further programs in India to support the country’s Vision 2020 goals.
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    Photo courtesy of The Fred Hollows Foundation. Around 185,000 people in Nepal are blind with cataract accounting for at least 70% of cases. The Foundation has been working in Nepal with Tilganga Eye Centre since 1994 to treat and prevent cataract blindness.
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    Photo courtesy of www.lannonharley.com In 2002 The Fred Hollows Foundation started working in Pakistan, to train and equip doctors and paramedical staff to bring sight restoring surgery to every corner of Pakistan.
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    A two year pilot project will be implemented in Sri Lanka which will assist marginalized and under serviced communities in the country’s northern region to access high quality and sustainable eye care facilities. Due to the current conflict in Sri Lanka, the implementation of this project has been delayed.