These results represent an increase of approximately 20% in eye operations and treatments in just one year.
Performed 176,472 eye operations and treatments – up from 143,759 in 2007
Provided eye care for over 1.3 million people
Trained 5,217 eye health workers - up from 3,284 in 2007
Supplied over $1.5 million worth of essential medical equipment
Developed new paediatric ophthalmology programs in places such as Pakistan, Vietnam and Cambodia
Carried out successful eye programs in the Northern Territory, and new initiatives to 'close the gap' in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Reached into new areas such as Afghanistan, Laos and Rwanda
Upgraded 29 eye health facilities.
15 years of achievement
Restored sight to over 1,000,000 people
Pioneered modern techniques of cataract surgery
Reduced cost of cataract surgery to as little as $25 in some developing countries
Set up independent and commercially successful intraocular lens (IOL) laboratories in Nepal and Eritrea
The laboratories export to more than 50 countries and have produced over 3 million sight-saving lenses
Price of IOLs reduced from over $100 to just $8
Worked in over 30 countries worldwide, with new programs recently launched in places such as North Korea and Rwanda
2008 winner of the Givewell Good Giving Australian Charity Award 'Best Practice not-for-profit’
Winner of the National Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships in recognition of the successful partnership between The Foundation, Woolworths and the Wugularr community for the Community Stores Program
Foundation friend and partner, Dr Sanduk Ruit, appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for ground-breaking work overcoming avoidable blindness
Worked with partners to develop new technology for the developing world, delivering innovative solutions through specifically designed lathes, lasers and microscopes