Fred's Vision
Fred Hollows was a man who got things done. A passionate eye doctor and humanitarian, Fred always pushed for change and tackled injustice head on. In Australia, he fought for better access to eye health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and put in motion a legacy to end avoidable blindness around the world. He believed in empowering local people to provide their own health care solutions and making eye care more affordable.
Fred's vision for a world in which no person is needlessly blind or vision impaired continues to guide us. Fred believed that everyone, rich or poor, had the right to affordable eye care. Our mission is to ensure this right is upheld, ending the injustice of avoidable blindness in Australia and around the world. We are confident that this goal will be achieved.
"What we're doing is giving these people the chance to help themselves. We are giving them independence."
We face a global health crisis
1.1 billion people live with vision loss
Without urgent action, this number is projected to double by 2050.
43 million people are blind
90 per cent of those affected live in low-income and middle-income countries where health systems are severely under resourced.
9 out of 10 people who are blind or vision impaired don’t need to be
Blindness and vision loss are mostly preventable or treatable with current, cost-effective solutions, yet millions remain needlessly affected.
Why eye health
Restoring sight transforms lives and communities. Ignoring vision impairment has serious consequences: children with vision loss fall behind in development and school, while adults face reduced quality of life, limited job opportunities, and higher rates of depression and anxiety. Blindness and vision loss continue the cycle of poverty. Vision loss costs the global economy an estimated US$411 billion annually.
While we have made significant progress, much more needs to be done. Eye health often gets sidelined in health budgets because it isn't seen as life-threatening, leaving it underfunded and low on government priorities. With your help, we're determined to close the eye health gap.
Our commitment
At The Fred Hollows Foundation, we are committed to addressing eye health challenges head-on. We are active across the full continuum of vision care, from prevention and treatment to rehabilitation and assistive technologies. By working closely with our partners, we aim to make sustainable improvements in eye care systems globally.
Eye health is a social, economic, and development issue and we must unlock the political will and resources needed to realise the ambition of ending avoidable blindness. Restoring sight and improving vision is transformative, not only for individuals but for entire communities. With the right investment and scaling of services, we can achieve our vision of a world without avoidable blindness.
Our strategy
The Fred Hollows Foundation’s five-year strategy (2024-2028) aims to deliver bold eye health solutions that transform lives and reduce the increasing burden of avoidable blindness and vision loss. This ambitious plan seeks impactful change globally, nationally, and across local systems.
Our Theory of Change
Our Theory of Change is the roadmap that guides our efforts. It explains how our programs lead to impactful change and ensures that we are targeting our efforts strategically. By outlining the outcomes we seek and the necessary changes in eye care systems, it helps us and our partners make the most effective contributions, ensuring that we remain focused on our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness.