This World Sight Day, transform twice as many lives with a matched gift. We are delighted to work with Michelle Loo, a renowned celebrity in Hong Kong, to help us raise awareness of the importance of eliminating avoidable blindness. From now until 31 October 2023, when you make a donation, our corporate partners will match it, doubling the donation and doubling the impact to restore sight for the needlessly blind.
Can you imagine how difficult life can be with cataract? When you lose your vision, you need to rely on your other senses to compensate. We invited our World Sight Day Ambassador, Michelle Loo, to wear special glasses to simulate what someone with cataract sees when they try to prepare a simple salad. "I really can't see anything at all, I can only rely on other senses." A seemingly simple task like making a salad was extremely challenging, and Michelle feels empathy for cataract patients who have difficulty taking care of their basic day-to-day needs. Michelle hopes that more people will support The Fred Hollows Foundation and help bring the gift of sight to those in need. World Sight Day is an important day in the eye health calendar. It is an annual awareness day which aims to focus global attention on blindness, vision impairment and eye care. From now until 31 October 2023, for every donation you make, our corporate partners will match it, doubling the donation and doubling the impact to restore sight for the needlessly blind. See how Michelle makes her salad (Full Version)
Although World Sight Day is only one day a year, The Fred Hollows Foundation believes that caring for your eyes is a lifelong commitment. This year, under the theme "Together, We See," The Fred Hollows Foundation aims to harness the power of the public, the community and corporates in ending avoidable blindness around the world. For every $1 donated, our corporate partners will match the amount, effectively doubling the positive impact we can create together. The total matching donation amount from our corporate partners is HKD 600,000.
Every sight-saving story is closely tied to the fate of an entire family. David from Kenya, developed cataracts in both eyes at the age of five, resulting in the loss of his vision. Unable to afford any medical expenses due to poverty, his family was unable to provide him with the necessary treatment he so needed. His younger brother, Bramwell, was forced to stay at home to take care of his brother and was also unable to attend school. "I don't want Bramwell to spend his whole life taking care of his brother," says his father, Samuel. Childhood cataract is urgent. If a child is not treated in time, they risk being blind for life, as the signals to the brain can be lost. David's family lives in extreme poverty, making surgery completely out of reach for them. Your donation can help more children like David who suffer from avoidable blindness, to escape a life of darkness and see a brighter future.
Four out of five people in Kenya who are blind don’t need to be. Difficulty accessing health services and low numbers of health workers means they can’t get help. With your support, we can address these significant barriers in the way of quality eye health care for all.
If a child’s cataract is not treated in time, their brain can’t learn to recognise signals from the eye, and they can stay blind for life. You can help us get to people sooner with and restore their hope for a better future.
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Clementine was just one of those people facing this scenario: she was desperate to help her son, but the village where they live is hours from the nearest hospital. Travelling is really not an option for people in her situation.
Without outreach programs like the ones run by The Fred Hollows Foundation, finding help would have been very difficult. But a community health worker visited the area where Eric lives, and contacted Dr Ciku Mathenge, a leading eye surgeon who has restored sight to thousands of people
Blindness limits a child’s access to education and ability to learn. Up to 75% of children’s learning and development is acquired through vision. Childhood blindness can affect social and emotional development and is associated with delays in crawling and walking. Your kindness can help us restore a future for these children.
Of the ophthalmologists working across Kenya, half are based in the capital Nairobi, which means that 92% of people, about 40 million people, are cared for by fewer than 50 eye doctors. But you can help us reach them.
Did you know? World Sight Day, which is held on the second Thursday of October, is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment and was initiated by The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). This year’s World Sight Day theme is Love Your Eyes at Work, raising awareness among employers of the importance of looking after their employees’ eye health and highlighting the crucial role of good eye care in the workplace. This will benefit the well-being, safety, and productivity of millions of employees around the world.