Fred Hollows Foundation Birch + Little have decided to support the Fred Hollows Foundation, as part of our commitment to the global community.
In 1992, Fred and Gabi Hollows decided to set up The Fred Hollows Foundation to continue Fred’s work. Despite having been diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and knowing he didn’t have much longer to live, Fred started raising money to build an intraocular lens (IOL) factory in Eritrea, so IOLs could become more accessible to people who were blinded by cataracts. “By significantly increasing the supply of affordable high quality IOLs to developing countries, we will reduce one of the barriers to disadvantaged people having their sight restored.” At the time, treating cataract blindness was prohibitively expensive. An intraocular lens which is used to replace the damaged lens of the eye in cataract surgery cost up to USD$100. Mystique also surrounded the idea of modern IOL implant surgery, putting it into the league of open-heart surgery or organ transplant surgery. Fred wanted to lower the cost of IOLs, for under US$10 each. His aim was make IOL implant surgery safe, affordable and more widely available for people in developing countries. This proved difficult as the multinational IOL manufacturers refused to drop their prices that low. In true Fred style, he decided The Foundation would make its own.
In addition, Fred also wanted to develop robust and effective microscopes and YAG lasers to help improve cataract surgery in developing countries. In both cases, Fred and The Foundation were able to find Australian companies interested in developing low cost, durable, portable and robust equipment. A year after he died, Fred’s dream came true. In 1994, The Fred Hollows Foundation opened modern intraocular lens manufacturing laboratories in both Kathmandu (Nepal) and Asmara (Eritrea). Since opening the laboratories have produced more than four million lens for local and export use. Today, the Fred Hollows IOL Laboratories are independently owned and continue to produce high quality low cost IOLs which are exported worldwide. This was the start of Fred’s dream. Today, The Foundation International, is ensuring Fred’s work lives on delivering results and offering hope, dignity and opportunity. We are proud to be a supporter of this Foundation. Make a donation today by visiting www.hollows.org.au