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Restore sightfor just $25
Tel: 1800 352 352 • Web: www.hollows.org.au
Nguyan Thi Tan VIETNAM
“The worst thing is to be unable to seeanyone, especially my grandchildren,and to be a burden to my family.”
Eighty-six-year-old Nguyan Thi Tan seenhere laughing with her grandchildrenwho she had not been able to see forthe previous three years.
Nguyen Thi Tan had a sight-restoringcataract operation at the Hai LangDistrict Health Centre in the Quang TriProvince of central Vietnam.
Photo courtesy of Sandy Scheltema/ The Age
The vision of The Fred Hollows Foundation is for a world where no one is needlesslyblind, and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and life expectancy as otherAustralians. The Foundation is independent, non-profit, politically unaligned and secular.
The Fred Hollows Foundation y 3
Fred and I started this foundation
around our dining room table in
1992. By that stage we knew he
didn’t have much longer to live;
cancer was making it more and
more difficult to do the sight-
saving work he loved.
He died less than one year later. It was
a terribly sad time, but brightened by
the knowledge that through The Fred
Hollows Foundation his work would
carry on.
Fred was many things to many people
– a husband, a father, a friend, a
skilled ophthalmologist and, for a few
politicians and bureaucrats, an
irritating thorn in their side. But above
all else he was a humanitarian, which
made him a terrific doctor. He truly
believed it was the role of the doctor
to serve, to help those in need.
That is why he was so passionate
about helping to improve health in
Indigenous Australia. And unlike
many, he didn’t just talk – he set
about helping local communities
do just that.
It is also why he worked so hard to
restore sight in the developing world.
Being blind in a poor country is
almost always a death sentence.
And in many cases the blindness is
unnecessary; it can either be avoided –
through early detection and
maintaining basic levels of hygiene
and nutrition, or it can be overcome –
with a simple operation.
Seventy-five percent of all cases of
blindness are unnecessary. It is a
shocking figure. But like Fred we have
to do more than be angry. We must do
something about it. And we are.
Since Fred died The Fred Hollows
Foundation has restored sight to well
over one million people in the
developing world. By forcing down the
price of equipment and introducing
modern surgical techniques The
Foundation has reduced the cost of
cataract surgery to as little as $25 in
some developing countries.
We lost Fred while there was still work
to do – now it is up to us to carry on.
Please consider making your own
contribution to Fred’s legacy – as little
as $25 can restore sight, and so offer
independence, dignity and hope.
Thank you for your support and for
helping Fred’s dream live on.
a message from
Gabi Hollows
Eye surgeon, Professor Fred Hollows, withdaughters (left to right) Anna, Ruth, Emmaand Rosa in 1992, one year before he passedaway. Photo courtesy of Newspix / Michael Amendolia.
On the front cover of this brochure is a photo of Fred in Vietnam in 1992. Fred
checked himself out of hospital to fly to Vietnam to fulfil a promise to help the
country set up an eye health program. The little boy by his side is Tran Van
Giap. Giap had an injured right eye and was in pain and suffering vision loss.
Fred examined Giap and organised an operation. Today Tran Van Giap is a
confident and able young man. He is the first of his farming family to attend
university and hopes to become a teacher. His goal is to use his skills to help
others – Fred would be so proud.
COVER: Photo courtesy of
www.michaelamendolia.com
The Foundation is a signatory of the Australian Council for International Development Code of Conduct.
Donations to The Foundation are used to support our programs in Australia and overseas.
The information contained in this publication is accurate at the time of printing. For more information [email protected]. Unless otherwise indicated photos have been provided by www.hollows.org/photolibrary.
This brochure is a publication of The Fred Hollows Foundation ACN 070 556 642. The Fred Hollows Foundationworks for a world where no one is needlessly blind and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and lifeexpectancy as other Australians.
Gabi Hollows withVietnamese patient Tran VanGiap, 14 years after Giap’ssight-saving operation.
Photo:Peter
Carrette
4 y The Fred Hollows Foundation
Fred first came to the attention of the
Australian public when he led a
medical team through rural and
remote Australia in the late 1970s.
The team provided essential medical
treatment and, at the same time,
conducted a comprehensive survey
of eye health.
Fred was shocked by what he discovered,
particularly in Indigenous communities.
He found eye conditions that had been
all but eliminated in Australia’s towns
and cities. He described the situation as
similar to what he had seen in third
world countries.
Never one to bite his tongue, Professor
Fred Hollows developed a reputation
for telling it how it was, using the
media to alert Australians to the
hidden health emergency in the
country’s interior. He embarrassed
politicians and bureaucrats into action
– his direct approach winning him his
share of enemies and supporters.
A trip to war-torn Eritrea in 1985 had
a huge impact on Fred, sending him
on a path that would lead to the
establishment of The Fred Hollows
Foundation and the unprecedented
spread of modern cataract surgery in
the developing world.
Fred was shown how the Eritreans
were producing their own medicines
behind the battle lines, improvising
sterile laboratories from dug-out
bunkers. He decided then and there
that if the Eritreans could produce
hospital grade medicines in such
trying conditions then it was possible
for third world countries to produce
their own intraocular lenses,
essential for effective treatment of
cataract blindness.
In 1994, one year after he lost his
battle with cancer, Fred’s dream came
true – The Fred Hollows Foundation
opened modern intraocular lens
laboratories in both Eritrea and Nepal.
Fred’s driving passions – overcoming
avoidable blindness in the developing
world and improving Indigenous life
expectancy in Australia – make up the
day-to-day work of The Fred Hollows
Foundation. Both goals present
enormous challenges, but through
targeted, practical initiatives, The
Foundation is ensuring Fred’s work
lives on, delivering results and offering
hope, dignity and opportunity.
FoundationFoundationFred Hollows was born in New Zealand in
1929. He dabbled with the idea of joining
the clergy before settling on a career in
medicine. His studies led him abroad,
including stints in England, Wales and
eventually Australia.
Fredand his
achievementsà Restored sight to over
1,000,000 people
à Pioneered moderntechniques of cataractsurgery
à Reduced cost ofcataract surgery to aslittle as $25 in somedeveloping countries
à Set up independent andcommercially successfulintraocular lens (IOL)laboratories in Nepal and Eritrea
à The laboratoriesexport to more than 50 countries and have producedover 3 million sight- saving lenses
à Price of IOLs reducedfrom over $100 to just $8
1929 Born in Dunedin,
New Zealand
1951 Attends Medical School,
University of Otago
1970 Begins work in Bourke, outback
Australia
1971 Helps set up first Aboriginal
medical centre
1979 Marries Gabi O’Sullivan
1985 Travels to Nepal
1987 Visits Eritrea
1988 Diagnosed with cancer
1990 Named Australian of the Year
1992 Sets up The Fred HollowsFoundation
1993 Loses battle with cancer and isburied in the red earth ofBourke cemetery
2006 Named as one of The Bulletinmagazine’s 100 mostinfluential Australians
For more information about
Fred Hollows and the work of The
Foundation visit www.hollows.org.au
Fred Hollows
The Fred Hollows Foundation y 5
Where we work:over 20 countries worldwide
Ne
pa
l
* Programs administered by The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ
Pa
pu
aN
ew
Gu
ine
a
Phot
oco
urt
esy
ofB
enB
ohan
e
Hare and Mina Hare and his sister Mina were both born blind.Due to the dangerous mountain terrain of theirvillage they were rarely able to play outside withthe other children. Following the operations thatrestored their sight they can now join in gamesas well as attend classes at the local school.Their parents are able to devote more time toworking, which enables them to consistently put food on the table.
Haraha Lari Following eye surgery 67-year-old HarahaLari can once again identify ripples on thewater, helping him catch fish and providefor his family.
Dr
Ru
it
Dr Sanduk Ruit Dr Ruit trained with Fred Hollows and thetwo were great friends. The Nepalesesurgeon has probably performed moresight-saving operations than anyone else inthe world, at last count approximately70,000. Today Dr Ruit is passing on his skillsto other doctors in the developing world,training ophthalmologists from countriessuch as China, India and Vietnam.
1. AFGHANISTAN
2. AUSTRALIA
3. BANGLADESH
4. CAMBODIA
5. CHINA
6. COOK ISLANDS*
7. ERITREA
8. FIJI*
9. INDIA
10. KENYA
11. LAO PDR
12. MYANMAR
13. NEPAL
14. NORTH KOREA
15. PAKISTAN
16. PAPUA NEW GUINEA*
17. RWANDA
18. SOLOMON ISLANDS*
19. SOUTH AFRICA
20 SRI LANKA
21 TANZANIA
22. TIBET
23. TIMOR LESTE*
24. VANUATU*
25. VIETNAM
6 y The Fred Hollows Foundation
Cataract blindness occurs when
the natural lens of the eye
becomes cloudy, causing gradual
loss of vision and ultimately
blindness.
It is rather like looking through a
window in a bathroom that has
become fogged up with steam.
Cataract is the most common cause
of blindness in the world – 50%
of avoidable blindness is due
to cataracts.
Studies show that in developing
countries blindness can lead to
dramatically lower life expectancy.
People are often unable to work or
look after themselves, feeling as if they
are a burden on their family.
The good news is that cataract
blindness can be cured. The operation
to remove a cataract and insert a
replacement intraocular lens (IOL) is
relatively routine, taking only twenty
minutes and costing as little as $25.
The operation is performed under
local anaesthetic and bandages can be
removed after just 24 hours.
Other causes of avoidableblindness:
• Glaucoma
• Trachoma
• Uncorrected refractiveerror (need for glasses)
• Diabetic retinopathy
An intraocular lens, or IOL, is a thinplastic lens that is inserted into theeye to replace the cloudy, cataractaffected, natural lens.
Up until the mid-1990s these tiny
lenses cost around $150 each, pushing
them well out of reach of people in
developing countries, who account for
90% of the world’s cases of blindness.
Fred Hollows once
referred to IOLs as “the
most expensive bits of
plastic in the world.”
He realised that the only way for
developing countries to get the lenses
at a cheaper rate was to produce
their own.
Sadly Fred did not live to see his dream
become a reality – he passed away
in 1993, just one year before The
Fred Hollows Foundation opened
intraocular lens laboratories in Nepal
and Eritrea.
Today they are fully independent and
commercially successful businesses,
exporting IOLs to more than
50 countries.
And best of all, by producing their own
IOLs the laboratories have been able to
drop the price. They now cost about
$8 per lens, ensuring even the poorest
countries have access to modern
cataract surgery.
Curingcataractblindness
The IOL story
Prior to IOL technology,
cataract operations
deprived patients of the
ability to focus, requiring
them to wear thick
glasses following the
procedure. This solution
provided poor quality
vision and was often only
temporary – when glasses
were lost or damaged,
patients effectively lost
their sight again.
Photo
courtesy
ofw
ww
.lann
onh
arley.com
59-year-old Pakistani father of five,Mohammad Hassan, has only partial vision as a result of the cataract in his right eye.
A lathe etches the shape of the Fred Hollowsintraocular lens into raw perspex. Photo courtesy of www.lannonharley.com
ww
w.m
ichaelam
end
olia.com
The Fred Hollows Foundation y 7
Health at home:Achieving results in remote Australia
(left to right) Trisala McDonald, Shevonne Ashley and Jeffrey Frank McDonald at BarungaWomen’s Resource Centre, east of Katherine in the Northern Territory. The Foundation hashelped the Centre set up a nutrition education program for mothers and provides asupplementary meals program for ‘at risk’ children aged 0-5 years.
Fred Hollows delivering essential eye care in outback Australia.
Photo
courtesy
ofW
ayne
Qu
illiamPh
otocou
rtesyof
Steph
enEllison
/Ou
tline
Right: RegistrarJohn Chang checksthe vision of BrianTjapaltjarri atHaasts BluffCommunity, locatedfour hours drivenorthwest of AliceSprings, CentralAustralia.
“I believe that the
basic attribute of
mankind is to look
after each other.”
Fred Hollowsqu
ote
Fred Hollows was passionateabout improving health and lifeexpectancy in Australia’sIndigenous communities. And intrue Fred style he wasn’t contentjust talking about the problem –he demanded action.
Fred headed up the National
Trachoma and Eye Health Program
(NTEHP) in the late 70s. The team
travelled far and wide through rural
Australia, offering eye care and
treatment for locals who would
otherwise be out of reach.
Today The Fred Hollow Foundation is
carrying on Fred’s legacy, working with
remote Indigenous communities to come
up with practical, targeted initiatives
that deliver better health and improved
levels of life expectancy. Key programs
focus on nutrition, literacy and eye health.
The Central Australian Eye Health
Program, coordinated by The Foundation,
helps provide ophthalmological services
to 55,000 people over 1.6 million
square kilometres.
The Foundation also runs an Outreach
Optometry Program across the Top
End of the Northern Territory,
continuing Fred’s work of taking
health and eye care services to people
in need living in remote regions.
Phot
oco
urt
esy
ofRo
ber
tPe
arce
/Fai
rfax
ph
otos
When four-year-old Grace Wambui arrived
at the Rift Valley Eye Unit, in Kenya, she
had lost sight in her right eye due to
painful swelling.
Blindness in the developing world can be a death
sentence. Studies show that up to 60% of children
living in developing countries will die within one
year of going blind.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Fred Hollows spent the last years of his lifebringing light to the eyes of others. Before hedied he set up The Fred Hollows Foundation tocarry on his work.
Since it was established, in 1992, The FredHollows Foundation has helped restore sight toover one million people like Grace Wambui.
In many cases all it takes to give the gift of sightis a relatively simple operation, taking less than20 minutes and costing as little as $25.
Donate now to helpFred’s work live on.
Restore sight for just $25A brighter future thanks to Fred Hollows
Photo courtesy www.lannonharley.com
Restore sight for just $25A brighter future thanks to Fred Hollows
I’LL GIVE $25 $50 $100 $200
My choice $______________
AND/ORMiracle Club: I would like to join The Fred Hollows
Foundation Miracle Club with a regular monthly gift of:
$25 $50 $75
Other: $__________ (min. $15 per month)
I will make my monthly gift by:
Credit card or
Direct debit (authority will be forwarded).
MY PAYMENT
Cheque/Money order enclosed made out to
The Fred Hollows Foundation
Debit my credit card (please circle)…
VISA | MasterCard | AMEX | Diners Club
Card number: __________ __________ __________ __________
Expiry date: _______ / _______
Name on card: ________________________________________
Signature: ________________________________________
MY DETAILS
Title Given name
Family name
Address
Suburb/Town
State Postcode
Phone Mobile
Email Date of birth
Please send me details on making a gift to The Foundation in my Will
If for any reason you do not wish to receive our appeal updates, please write to us at: The Fred Hollows Foundation, Locked Bag 3100, Burwood NSW 1805 or call 1800 352 352.
Donations of $2 and over are tax-deductible.
YES, I will make a gift to restore sight and prevent blindness.
4 easy ways to donateMail the coupon below toLocked Bag 3100 Burwood NSW 1805
Donate onlinewww.hollows.org.au
Fax coupon to(02) 8741 1999
Call1800 352 352