The Fred Hollows Foundation (also known as Fred Hollows) is a leading international development organisation dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness across the world.

The Foundation was established in 1992 by Professor Fred Hollows (1929–1993), a New Zealand-Australian eye surgeon and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the belief that quality eye care is a universal right. Even in his final years, battling terminal cancer, Fred flew to Vietnam to fulfil a promise to train 300 ophthalmologists in modern surgical techniques. That same determination defines the Foundation today.

Today, the Foundation operates in over 25 countries and has restored sight to more than 3 million people. It focuses on preventable and treatable conditions — cataracts, trachoma, and diabetic retinopathy — that account for 9 in every 10 cases of blindness worldwide. Rather than relying on a fly-in, fly-out model, the Foundation builds sustainable, locally led eye health systems by training surgeons and health workers, supplying affordable medical equipment, and investing in research and innovation.

One of Fred’s most enduring legacies is the intraocular lens factory he envisioned before his death. Established posthumously in Eritrea and Nepal, these factories now produce lenses at under USD $5 each — a fraction of what they cost when manufactured in developed countries — and have supplied over 8 million lenses to more than 50 countries. A cataract surgery using one of these lenses takes just 20 minutes and can restore full sight to a patient who would otherwise remain permanently blind.

The Foundation is independent, not-for-profit, politically unaligned and secular — guided at all times by one simple principle: that no person should be needlessly blind.