Space Station Storage supports the Fred Hollows Foundation
Kiwi eye surgeon and humanitarian Fred Hollows had a vision of ending avoidable blindness. He worked tirelessly to restore sight to the needlessly blind in developing countries and trained hundreds of local eye doctors to do the same.
Making Fred’s vision a reality
An estimated 39 million people around the world today are blind. But 4 out of 5 don’t have to be; their condition is treatable or preventable.
The Fred Hollows Foundation works to restore sight and end avoidable blindness in more than 29 developing countries across Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
They focus on the comprehensive treatment of cataracts which are responsible for around half of all global blindness. Modern cataract surgery using an intraocular lens (IOL) takes just 20 minutes and can cost as little as $25 in some countries. In fact, the World Bank states that cataract surgery is one of the most highly cost-effective interventions that can be offered in the developing world.
The foundation also tackles other causes of avoidable blindness including glaucoma, pterygium, trachoma and refractive error.
In the last five years alone, The Fred Hollows Foundation has performed nearly one million sight-restoring operations and treatments, and trained more than 38,000 eye health workers; achievements Fred would be proud of.
