Fred
Hollows

Professor Fred Hollows was an internationally acclaimed Australian eye surgeon who championed the right of all people to high-quality and affordable eye care and good health. 

Fred got things done. He always pushed for change and, because of that, set in motion a legacy to end avoidable blindness.

In his time as a humanitarian and eye surgeon on behalf of the World Health Organisation, Fred helped restore eyesight to thousands of people in Australia and overseas.

Fred was also an innovator: he founded two factories in Nepal and Eritrea which could produce affordable intraocular lenses - significantly reducing the cost of cataract surgery in developing countries.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer, Fred was determined to keep pushing for change. In the last few months of his life, he discharged himself from hospital to fly to Vietnam to train over 300 Vietnamese eye specialists in modern surgery techniques. These surgeons have gone on to train others, significantly reducing the number of avoidably blind in Vietnam.

Today, The Fred Hollows Foundation works tirelessly in more than 25 countries to achieve Fred’s vision of a world where no person is needlessly blind. Inspired by Fred's legacy, The Foundation has successfully restored sight to millions of people around the world, and - inspired by Fred - we won't stop until avoidable blindness is a thing of the past.