The Fred Hollows Foundation has delivered more than one million eye operations and treatments in 2016, a record result for a single year in its 25-year history.

The record 1,004,975 eye operations and treatments in 2016 is a 13 per cent increase on the previous year, when The Foundation performed 890,066 eye operations and treatments.

Chief Executive Officer Brian Doolan described 2016 as “the biggest year on record for The Fred Hollows Foundation”.

“Performing one million eye operations and treatments in a single year is an important milestone. We are now so much closer to our goal of ending avoidable blindness,” said he.

Founding Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation, Gabi Hollows AO said: “Fred would never have imagined The Foundation would grow to achieve so much and transform the lives of so many millions of people in the world’s poorest communities."

In 2016 The Fred Hollows Foundation achieved globally:

  • More than one million eye operation and treatments;
  • More than three million people screened;
  • 78,450 people trained including specialist eye surgeons and nurses, community health workers and teachers;
  • 120 medical facilities built, renovated or equipped;
  • $4.4 million of medical equipment and infrastructure provided;
  • More than 2.9 million school children and community members educated in eye health;
  • Eye health services provided to almost 12,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through The Foundation’s Indigenous Australia Program.

In China, we have achieved the following:

  • 784,216 people screened;
  • Performed 271,011 eye operations and treatments including cataract operations and diabetic retinopathy treatments;
  • 7819 surgeons, clinic support staff, community health workers and teachers trained;
  • 45,086 school children and community members educated in eye health;
  • HKD$1,557,143.79 worth of equipment and infrastructure provided

Thanks to our supporters, The Fred Hollows Foundation, which celebrates its 25th birthday this year, has grown from a small charity to a genuinely international development organisation, improving the lives of tens of millions of people each year.

Click here to download our 2016 Global Annual Report, and support our work here.