Three clinicians set up Eyes of Hope to help people experiencing homelessness in Sydney receive eye care
Three clinicians were fed up with seeing the homeless forgoing eye care. They launched a mobile eye clinic that pops-up at organisations already active in the community, and they're adding volunteers to deliver no-cost glasses to those who need them.
Transcript
00:00So we're on the way to Kirkton Road Centre.
00:16These clinicians are volunteering to bring eye care to the homeless and disadvantaged.
00:21We've tried to remove every single barrier that we've found these people experience.
00:25The three co-founders of Eyes of Hope saw homeless people forgoing eye care, a service
00:30that's often subsidised in New South Wales.
00:33A lack of awareness, nomadic lifestyles and stigma are some of the reasons why people
00:38often miss out on treatment.
00:41If you haven't eaten that day, that's going to take priority over going and getting your
00:45eye health looked at.
00:46Dean needed eye care for three years.
00:48It'll be like I've got welding flashes in my eyes.
00:52People's faces, I can see their body and their movement, but I can't see the face.
00:57His poor health ended his career as a labourer, but he hopes glasses will make retraining
01:01easier.
01:02I'll be able to read posters on the wall now, build notifications, won't have to go right
01:08up and squint and try to estimate what the letters are, be able to read the computer.
01:16Suddenly they can actually engage in services that they might otherwise have avoided.
01:26Eyes of Hope now offers pop-up services at four community organisations in Sydney.
01:31Stakeholders say the clinicians spotted a gap in the market.
01:34They say it's an example of the system working, where government programs are delivered by
01:39not-for-profit organisations.
01:42Patients often just don't have access, and so they're really grateful that we've brought
01:45something to them.
01:46The service recently secured a mentoring scholarship to help the co-founders expand the program.
01:51Do you feel like your vision has been popularised?
01:53But they say paid staff are needed to ensure it's sustainable.