About the program

The Foundation's Australia-China Blindness Prevention Program aims to treat and prevent eye disease through improving the quality and effectiveness of eye care services. The focus is on preventing and treating main and emerging causes of avoidable blindness in China - cataract blindness, refractive error, childhood blindness, and diabetic retinopathy.

Jiangxi Province, where our work is concentrated, is home to 43 million people and had one of the highest rates of blindness in the country. For example, the number of people with cataract blindness in the province was about 185,000 - with an additional 29,500 new cases each year.

The province also lacked sufficient numbers of dedicated ophthalmologists and trained nurses, and many of its county or regional hospitals lacked the equipment and infrastructure required for surgery.

The Foundation has committed to help 'turn around' the situation, and over the past 10 years has set about building the facilities, medical expertise and partnerships needed to bring change.   

Key areas of our work include:

• Human resource development
• Disease control
• Infrastructure and equipment development
• Advocacy and partnerships
• Research

The following two projects (of the five currently being undertaken in China) are good examples of why The Foundation's Australia-China Blindness Prevention Program is so important. Through these kinds of projects, we give babies a better start to life and restore sight and hope to those living with avoidable blindness.

The China-Australia Cataract Surgery Training Cooperation Project

Through the China-Australia Cataract Surgery Training Cooperation Project we are working towards developing a sustainable model of high volume cataract surgery in Jiangxi Province which is accessible to the poor and which can eventually be implemented in other provinces throughout China.

Treating the Causes: Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Project

The Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) project in Jiangxi Province is an initiative to support The Foundation's efforts to treat and prevent the childhood causes of avoidable blindness.

ROP is a disease of the eye affecting prematurely born babies. Untreated, it can result in scarring and retinal detachment, and ultimately, blindness.

But it is also avoidable with early detection and treatment. That is why The Foundation is helping to establish an ROP screening and referral system in nine County Hospitals in Jiangxi Province.