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03/05/2024
Vision Eye Institute (VEI) has put its support behind Sight For All to help the Australian charity in its quest to advance eyecare for underprivileged communities around the world.
CEO Amanda Cranage says the synergy between both organisations is clear – a goal to transform lives through eyecare. ‘Although VEI’s 29 clinics and day hospitals are located throughout Australia, we are very much aware of the millions of vision-impaired people beyond our shores, which is exactly what Sight For All was set up for.
‘We are thrilled that this partnership will extend our impact on the lives of individuals in all communities,’ says Ms Cranage.
Sight For All was established by South Australian ophthalmologists Dr James Muecke AM, Prof Robert Casson and A/Prof Henry Newland in 2009. Prof Casson, the Chair of Sight For All, says their aim is to make communities self-sufficient, rather than reliant on external support. This means providing equipment and training to increase the ophthalmic capacity in target communities, before phasing out support once local doctors are suitably trained.
Every year, more than 120 eye care professionals (so-called ‘Visionaries’), including VEI doctors, donate over 10,000 hours of their time to deliver intensive, in-country training.
‘Sight For All is delighted to welcome Vision Eye Institute as an Enterprise Supporter. With a shared vision and passion for positive patient outcomes and research, the collaboration between our two organisations holds great promise for making a meaningful difference in promoting eye health and wellbeing,’ he says.
The partnership also includes opportunities for VEI staff to get involved through Sight For All projects in Australia and overseas, the Sight For All Research Committee and workplace giving.
Learn more about Sight For All
Vision Eye Institute CEO, Ms Amanda Cranage; Sight for All Chair, Prof Robert Casson
Dr Tess Huynh is a corneal, cataract and refractive surgeon at Vision Eye Institute Hurstville. She was part of a team of Australian corneal specialists who volunteered to teach/give lectures and supervise surgery as part of the Sight For All corneal fellowship training.
‘I wanted to impart knowledge and expertise where it was needed most in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. We each spent an intensive week in Hanoi in 2017 to cover the corneal topic for that month. Sight For All chose two to three ophthalmologists from Hanoi to complete the cornea fellowship program over 12 months.
‘The satisfaction of volunteer work comes from the joy of giving and seeing the impact of your work to improve the quality of care for patients in less developed countries through education. It was clear that the doctors were so overwhelmed with the patient needs before them that they had very little time for formal teaching from their own department. They were very appreciative of the opportunity offered by Sight For All and so hungry to learn from our team.
‘VEI partnering with a recognised charity such as Sight For All is a great opportunity for more of our doctors to be involved in volunteer work in Australia, as well as in our neighbouring countries. It’s an exciting move for both.’
Vision Eye Institute ophthalmologists Dr Tess Huynh and Dr Jason Cheng.
Managing partner of Vision Eye Institute Hurstville, Dr Jason Cheng, joined Sight For All in 2023 as part of an 18-month glaucoma fellowship program in Cambodia.
‘The Sight For All in-country fellowship program is incredibly effective at providing long-term, sustainable healthcare benefits to the country. In July 2023, I was one of the Visionaries who attended the Khmer Soviet Hospital for one week to train four Cambodian fellows in clinical and surgical glaucoma.
It was a rewarding and humbling experience to see the fellows gain confidence in the clinical and surgical management of glaucoma. These four glaucoma fellows will go on to serve their community and manage complex glaucoma, which is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the country.
Sight For All has multiple programs running all around the globe. These are designed to maximise outcomes in a cost-effective way – every donated hour and dollar are maximised, which benefits more patients. I encourage anyone to support this organisation with their time or through a tax-deductible donation.’
Dr Jason Cheng is also proud to be a Sight For All Visionary for the glaucoma fellowship program in Mongolia in 2025. In the meantime, he is working with Sight For All and Fred Hollows New Zealand, as a member of the RANZCO Global Eye Health committee, to help develop similar programs in Fiji.
Date last reviewed: 2024-05-10 | Date for next review: 2026-05-10
