The Foundation achieved record results in 2011, bringing us closer to our goal of ending avoidable blindness by 2020.
 
  • Performed 282,714 eye operations and treatments
  • Eye screened 1.6 million people
  • Trained more than 10,000 local clinical/health workers
  • Built or upgraded 50 medical facilities
  • Delivered $3.38 million worth of equipment for use in developing countries.
Professor Fred Hollows’ dream of a world where no one is needlessly blind is now closer to reality, with record results for 2011 being released at The Foundation’s Annual General Meeting in Sydney recently.

“In the last financial year 282,714 eye operations were performed with The Foundation’s support—up from just over 190,000 in 2010,” said The Foundation's CEO, Brian Doolan.

“This result means that since 2006, The Foundation has helped restore sight to well over 1 million people. These are all people who may not have ever regained their vision, if not for the generosity and support of our Australian supporters.”

“Last year, The Foundation also trained over 10,000 local clinical and health workers, and built or upgraded 50 medical facilities,” said Doolan.

"If Fred was still alive today I think he’d be extremely proud of what we’ve all achieved. But Fred would also remind us to get on with the rest of the job, given that there are still around 39 million people blind in the world today—and four out of five of these people can be helped.”

2012 is the 20th anniversary of The Fred Hollows Foundation. The organisation was established by Professor Fred Hollows and his wife Gabi together with a group of friends and supporters around their kitchen table in 1992. The Foundation now works in 19 countries around the globe. Approximately one quarter of funds raised are spent on programs in remote Indigenous communities here in Australia.

The Fred Hollows Foundation is a partner in the World Health Organization's global campaign to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

> Find out more about our fight to end avoidable blindness, and the sight restoring work we do around the world.