An intensive eye camp set to occur in Central Vietnam's Quang Binh Province has been delayed due to devastating floods which have killed at least 44 people, with a further 16 missing in that region alone.

Andy Nilsen from The Fred Hollows Foundation was caught up in the floods as he travelled to the eye camp, which would have restored sight to around 40 people.

"The entire region looked like a great lake," Nilsen said.

"Local ophthalmologists did everything they could to ensure that the eye camp went ahead, but heavily flooded roads made it impossible for people to get through.

"Unfortunately, the people most impacted by this kind of natural disaster are also the ones who would have benefited from our eye camp. Many of these people are obviously busy now trying to save their own homes.

"Local surgeons and administrators have committed to rescheduling the eye camp once the flood crisis is over, so that no one in the district will miss out on having their sight restored."

Flooding is not uncommon in Central Vietnam, nor is it uncommon for The Foundation's programs to be affected by rising water levels - even in some of its larger cities, like Hue. During the wet season, The Foundation's local eye clinic in Hue is under constant threat of flooding. It is so common in fact that many of the administrators' and surgeons' desks and equipment are elevated one metre off the ground to prevent water damage.

This is one of the reasons why The Foundation, with help from the Australian Government's Avoidable Blindness Initiative (ABI), is building a new multi-storey clinic to service the city of Hue. Once completed in May 2011, the modern facility will service a population of well over 1 million people.

The Avoidable Blindness Initiative was established on the back of a plan put together by partners in The Vision 2020 Australia Global Consortium: The Fred Hollows Foundation, CBM Australia, ICEE, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Foresight Australia, Royal Institute of Death and Blind Children, Vision Australia and the Centre for Eye Research Australia.

The objective of the Australian Government's aid program, delivered by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is to assist developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia's national interest.