Our Partner Countries

Sight For All’s team of consultants give their time and expertise voluntarily with the aim of strengthening the capacity of ophthalmologists, ancillary staff and health workers in the developing world to deliver effective, high quality and sustainable ophthalmic health care.

Sight For All’s mission is to reduce the magnitude and impact of avoidable blindness in the developing world and Australian communities through research, education, health promotion and the support of infrastructure.

There are multiple facets to Sight For All’s commitment to providing comprehensive sustainable ophthalmic support to a partner country:

  • To collaborate on clinical and epidemiological research, with the aim of identifying areas of need.
  • To target effective primary prevention projects and awareness campaigns to these areas of need.
  • To enhance the knowledge and skills of local ophthalmologists, ancillary staff and health workers and the resulting ophthalmic care of patients.
  • To provide modern equipment and upgrade facilities in ophthalmic centres, thereby increasing the accessibility and availability of advanced and safe surgical practice.

These activities can be broadly categorised into four major areas:

Sight For All’s experienced team of consultants from the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology can conduct a variety of collaborative epidemiological research activities with our partner countries. Please click on the Publications tab below to view abstracts of our publcaitions.

Sight For All conducts population-based surveys aimed at uncovering the prevalence and causes of adult blindness. The results of these studies allow host countries to determine how to best direct scarce funds and resources toward ophthalmic health care services and primary prevention initiatives.

Sight For All has a dedicated team of ophthalmologists and optometrists who can conduct studies to determine the causes of blindness in children attending schools for the blind. The team also provides low vision aids to enhance the education of these children and orientation and mobility training so they can maintain independence and self-esteem.

Sight For All can also conduct large population-based refractive error studies amongst schoolchildren. These surveys can determine the need for spectacles and refracting services.

Sight For All’s consultants can provide a variety of ophthalmic health awareness activities to our partner countries:

Sight For All has experience in conducting national multimedia public awareness campaigns for preventable eye disease such as that caused by diabetes.

Ophthalmic health awareness seminars for regional health care workers are vital for raising awareness of blinding eye disease at the village level and for overcoming barriers to patient assessment and treatment by local ophthalmologists.

The ophthalmology faculty from the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology (SAIO), Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital and other institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand provides a consultancy service to Sight For All, with education achieved through a number of strategies:

Sight For All’s consultants conduct in-country workshops aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of ophthalmology trainees in a clinical setting, with an emphasis on diagnostic skills, management plans, case note keeping and communication.

Sight For All’s consultants conduct in-country workshops aimed at updating ophthalmologists in sub-specialty topics through intensive interactive clinical sessions and hands-on surgical training. Topics include anterior segment/cornea, cataract (extracap, SICS, phaco), glaucoma, medical retina/uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology/retinoblastoma, oculoplastics, paediatric ophthalmology, vitreo-retinal surgery.

Sight For All provides sub-specialty fellowship training at the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital and other centres of ophthalmic excellence in Australia and NZ. The comprehensive fellowships are available in anterior segment-corneal surgery, glaucoma, medical retina-vitreo-retinal surgery, oculoplastic surgery and paediatric ophthalmology and range from short one to three month observerships to full 12-month hands-on fellowships.

Please visit the SAIO website for information regarding our fellowship program at the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology.

Sight For All provides advanced sub-specialty fellowship training in primary ophthalmic centres within our partner countries. Topics include:

• Anterior segment/cornea
• Glaucoma
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Oculoplastics
• Paediatric ophthalmology
• Retina

Sight For All offers a low vision course in Adelaide. This intensive, one month course is a collaboration between Sight For All, the Royal Society for the Blind and the South Australian School for Vision Impaired.

At the Royal Society for the Blind, participants spend time with the ophthalmologists and optometrists and their patients (children and adults) in the Low Vision Clinic. They follow new clients from the Low Vision Advisor through to assessment in the clinic. They also receive exposure to low vision products and services such as adaptive technology, print alternatives, digital library service, orientation and mobility service, guide dog service, independent living training, employment service, recreation and leisure service, support groups and community services in the field.

At the South Australian School for the Vision Impaired the participants spend time observing students in class, using alternate formats including Braille, large print, tactile and audio materials to access and participate in curriculum. They are introduced to a range of assistive technologies, including iPads, which enable students to access information using synthetic speech and magnification. Other experiences include spending time with the orientation and mobility teacher, in the alternate print production service, a visit to a mainstream school, and time at one of the secondary vision impairment programs.

Sight For All can provide experienced RANZCO accredited examiners to contribute valuable external input to local ophthalmology training course examinations in partner countries.

Sight For All’s team provides infrastructure support to primary teaching centres and regional eye centres in our partner countries.

A range of support is available, including:

  • Provision of specialised equipment and training facilities to tertiary and teaching centres.
  • Establishment of paediatric eye units.
  • Upgrading of existing regional eye centres or complete fit-outs of newly established centres.
  • Training of local technicians so that regular and sustainable maintenance of ophthalmic equipment can be performed in-country.

adding map

Scroll to Top
Loading...