To mark National Reconciliation Week, The Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) and the Brien Holden Foundation have acknowledged the invaluable role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the success of the Aboriginal Vision Program.
Through partnership with Aboriginal communities, BHVI provides optometry services in approximately 200 rural and remote locations across NSW and the Northern Territory. These services span from one to 100 days a year.
BHVI opened its first optometry clinic in Walgett, NSW in 1999 and, between 2015 and 2019, provided 39,920 individual eye examinations and 27,204 pairs of glasses to Aboriginal Australians.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, work with these communities has been maintained through the establishment of additional telehealth services.
BHVI recognises the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the program and beyond and remains committed to continue to work together in long-standing partnerships to ensure culturally accessible vision services remain possible.