WRITER Duchesne Markham

Through its long-standing partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia and New Zealand, Specsavers is combining funding and professional expertise to help strengthen eye care services and develop local workforces across Australia and the Pacific.

To date, more than 100 optometrists have participated in Specsavers-funded outreaches and teaching placements across Australia and the Pacific, collectively delivering more than 480 days of clinical service and workforce development support.

In line with the shared philosophy of both Specsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation, outreaches and teaching placements aim to create and support sustainable models of care that improve access to life-changing eye care services.

One example is teaching placements that are delivered with The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand at the Pacific Eye Institute (PEI) in Suva, Fiji.

Dedicated to developing the region’s eye care workforce, PEI combines specialist eye care services with postgraduate training for eye doctors and nurses from across the Pacific. Students can receive scholarships to study at Fiji National University (FNU), with clinical training through the PEI, before returning to their home countries with the skills to deliver eye care in their own communities, reaching people who may otherwise go without.

For more than a decade, visiting Specsavers optometrists have supported the refraction module of PEI’s Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Eye Care, working alongside local educators to provide additional mentoring and bring current clinical experience into practical sessions.

Unlike traditional service delivery outreaches, this approach focuses on strengthening local eye care systems by helping to develop the local workforce.

Specsavers optometrist, Tiana Nix participated in a five-week teaching placement at PEI in 2025 and said it helped her discover a renewed passion for optometry, lecturing, and public health.

“It was incredibly rewarding to be able to lecture and teach the students in my class on this Fred Hollows teaching placement, and allow my joy and excitement for optometry to pass onto them. The students were so eager to learn and were dedicated to grasping each concept on refraction and lens prescribing, and to support one another through difficult concepts.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to train nurses who can go back to their villages across the Pacific region, to provide much needed sustainable eye care that has previously been inaccessible. This placement helped me rediscover a renewed passion for optometry, lecturing, and public health. I endeavour to continue to focus on my skills as a teacher and practitioner in the years to come to make a positive impact on patient health outcomes and advocate for improved access to eye care,” she said.

FNU lecturer Ashreeta Lingam said having visiting Specsavers optometrists as part of its education team provides valuable mentoring that students might not otherwise receive.

“Students learn to calculate prescriptions, measure lens power, and apply these skills in a practical laboratory. Being able to do this under the guidance of optometrists like Tiana is hugely beneficial. Having experienced optometrists available for additional mentoring also means students who need more support can receive one-to-one guidance until they feel confident in the skill they’re learning,” she said.

Ms Nix said the Specsavers Outreach Program offers optometrists a “powerful way to pass on knowledge and skills and make a meaningful impact”.

“Having my wages as well as all travel expenses including flights, accommodation, food, and optometry registration covered meant I was able to focus on delivering informative lecture content and creating meaningful relationships with the students and Pacific Eye Institute staff. I am incredibly grateful to Specsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation for this wonderful opportunity and the exceptional support I received throughout the entire placement. I highly recommend this opportunity to anyone who is passionate about outreach and public health.”

Beyond Fiji, Specsavers optometrists also provide training support in Samoa, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands. They also work with The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Indigenous Australia Program team to support service delivery outreaches in communities across Australia. Australian outreaches are conducted in collaboration with The Foundation’s program partners and have reached rural and remote locations such as Lightning Ridge, Bourke, Katherine, and Fitzroy Crossing.

Specsavers Head of Sustainability, Cathy Rennie Matos, said the company has also recently worked to co-design opportunities for non-clinical team members.

“Outreaches and teaching placements are an incredibly meaningful way of connecting with, and contributing to, the important work of The Fred Hollows Foundation. We’ve recently developed the ‘Fred Experience’ for non-clinical team members, providing them with the opportunity to learn more about, and experience first-hand, The Foundation’s work in both Australia and the Pacific, and take those learnings back to their stores.”

As the partnership marks its 15th anniversary this year, AU$12.8m donated by Specsavers Australia and New Zealand has contributed to more than 380,000 eye screenings, 22,000 treatments for diabetic retinopathy, and 33,000 cataract surgeries and other eye treatments. The partnership has also supported the distribution of 25,000 pairs of glasses and the training or upskilling of more than 1,400 healthcare workers. Together with the non-financial support provided through initiatives such as the outreach program, these outcomes demonstrate the partnership’s broader contribution – supporting access to care today while investing in the systems and people who will deliver, for years to come.

Duchesne Markham is the Senior Stakeholder and Professional Communications Manager for Specsavers Australia New Zealand.

The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and Specsavers outreach team with the Pacific Eye Institute’s Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Eye Care class of 2026.

Specsavers Joondalup WA optometrist, Minh Lam, training students at the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva, Fiji.