The Sumba Eye Program, established in 2007, is targeted at delivering eye care services to the people of Sumba and building the capacity of the local and regional health staff to provide effective eye care for the community in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
All donations to the Sumba Eye Program will be used to purchase the medical supplies and equipment needed to deliver cataract surgery, perform eye examinations and train local doctors and nurses.
Welcome to the Sumba Eye Program 2015 Video, view the work that the SEP team is doing in Sumba. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— “The Other Side of Sumba” – Sumba Eye Program 2011
The New Tango Laser will be used on the next visit to Sumba later this year. This laser will not only treat post cataract surgery issues, but will treat those with glaucoma , where the use of drops to lower pressure is very problematical in rural Sumba. Funding has come mostly through generous grants by Kew and Glenferrie Rotary Clubs... Read more
Brad Heuvel from printing company “BKH Print and Sign Solutions” has been very generous in his time and expertise to help develop this new Numeral Letter Chart that really helps speed up screenings. Most of the Sumba population knows numerals and are numerate–but the majority are illiterate. Brad has recently donated 80 charts to the Sumba Eye Program. These charts... Read more
. Dr.Adelina Poli from UNHAS in Sulawesi checking the eyes of a young Sumbanese child on our recent trip to Sumba- this collaboration with the Indonesian professionals is pivotal to the success of the SEP. In Anakalang in Central Sumba,1103 people had their vision screened , 1101 spectacles were dispensed and 126 surgical procedures were done , mostly on people... Read more
The SEP team leaving Tullamarine for another week in Sumba. Arrived safely in Bali and off to the Island of Sumba today. Although a lot of our equipment is over there, we still had 30 boxes of consumables and equipment to take. ... Read more
First week of April 2016 saw The Team head to Sumba for mentoring and teaching camp. Janine Hobson and Chris Katapodis (Optometrists) headed to Sumba and provided lectures and one on one teaching to Nefry,Sani and the Nurses from the Sumba Foundation. Mark Ellis, Peter Stewart and Peter Lewis detoured to Sulawesi – a large island north of Bali –... Read more
AUGUST VISIT 2015 696 people screened : many others screened in remote villages by the Optom/Hasanuddin University Teams 68 Cataract and Pterygium operations performed : 6/60 blindness or worse levels 605 spectacles dispensed Under much pressure to keep our equipment excess down we were not able to bring as many cataract operating kits and we had to leave behind a... Read more
Pictured are members of the RACS Team (Royal Australian College of Surgeons) . They work quietly behind the scenes ensuring that the SEP team can undertake their important work. L to R : RN Alison Plain (Head of SEP Nursing Team ) Sara Hudson, Stephanie Korin and Daliah Moss.... Read more
Alon Cohen and Rohan Gibbon from the RIMOPTICS Group of Companies standing behind the next shipment of ready made frames for OGS and bound for its’ Sumba Eye Program. From the first hand experience Rohan had while volunteering in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania he has seen the enormous benefit Eyecare Programs have in these areas which is why... Read more
Plans are well underway for our surgical/screening/teaching trip at the beginning of August. Heading to Sumba are Drs Mark Ellis AM, Jon Ruddle and David Workman,Optoms Pete Lewis OAM, Pete Stewart OAM, Norm Russo and newbie OGS awardee Andrew Thomas (ARST) from Adelaide, Theatre Nurses Alison Plain and newbie Virginia Holloway , Self Funded Volunteer Anne Lewis and Rotary Volunteer... Read more
Thank you to my amazing optometry friends Peter Lewis, Chris Katapodis, and Peter Stewart and the inspiring Mark Ellis for giving me the opportunity to experience Sumba and the beauty, humility and patience of the people. Sometimes in our busy world the ability to sit and wait is lost but I found the experience of the last week so... Read more
