After the first year working with Indigenous Australians in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District in Griffith (NSW), the team provided the very first training session on vision screening for the local Aboriginal nurses and support staff. The training also included an ophthalmic equipment kit to help them to provide their outreach services. Continuous training not …
Update from Sumba
Although there are still some limitations caused by the pandemic, Dr Mark Ellis AM and the team are planning to go to Sumba early in 2023. In the meantime, Dr Ellis has been busy organising some ongoing training session via ZOOM in conjunction with the University of Hasunuddin (UNHAS) Makassar ophthalmologists to upskill the local …
Foresight’s first Indigenous Australia program
26 May, 2022 Over the past few months, we have been working hard to get our first Indigenous program off the ground. The first step of the project was to focus on enhancing the eye-care available to the people of the Griffith (NSW) district by providing a sustainable high quality, comprehensive eye-care service, at no …
Foresight to help the people of Sumba
Q and A with Dr Mark Ellis AM What is the aim of the Sumba Eye Program? The aim of our program, which began in 2008 was originally to provide eye care for the island of Sumba. We began as a service with eye testing, screening and prescribing by our optometrists, while the team of …
Expanding the teaching and screening in the Philippines
Since 2013, Foresight has been able to restore sight to over 1,000 people, many of them children who have been blind since birth. Due to increasing need to restore sight in the Northern region of Luzon, in the past two years Foresight, in partnership with Open Heart International and the Rotary Club Turramurra have been …
40 years on – Prof Billson’s latest trip to Bangladesh
In February this year, Prof Frank Billson returned to Bangladesh for yet another trip. During his time there, he was honoured to receive a Gold medal for his long-standing contribution to eye health and education for the people of Bangladesh which spanned over more than 40 years. It was after his first visit in Bangladesh …
Foresight’s Founder, Prof Billson receives a gold medal in Bangladesh
Foresight’s Founder, Prof Billson receives a gold medal in Bangladesh During the 47th anniversary of the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) on the 10th February 2020, Prof Frank Billson was awarded a gold medal for his long-standing contribution to eye health and education for the people of Bangladesh. Prof Billson’s commitment to the …
Providing valuable training in the Philippines
Further training was provided in Santiago City for the local nurses and support staff, as well as equipment supply. Continuous training adds a more sustainable increase in the capacity to undertake local cataract blindness procedures in the future. The success of the training was highlighted when in May this year Foresight completed its seventh tour …
Achieving sustainability in Bangladesh
Achieving sustainability in Bangladesh It has been over 40 years since Professor Billson went to Chittagong and helped build the Eye Infirmary Hospital and the Training Complex. In his many visits, he trained staff and developed the facility which in turn was able to create outreach programs. In 2003 the facility celebrated one million sight-saving …
Rona will be able to live a normal life
Rona will be able to live a normal life Five years old Rona had poor eyesight for a while and had difficulty seeing objects at a distance. Unfortunately, she and her family lived three hours away from the hospital and could not afford either trip or the 20,000 pesos (about $600) required for surgery. Luckily, …