The Fred Hollows Foundation issues a call to action for International Women's Day

News
Article

The Australia-based organisation is partnering with the UN Friends of Vision group for an event on 11 March

An illustration shows women and girls representing different nationalities and ethnicities. Image credit: ©DisignUA – stock.adobe.com

The event will include UN Friends of Vision leadership and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO. Image credit: ©DisignUA – stock.adobe.com

The Fred Hollows Foundation, an international development organisation which focuses on improving Indigenous Australian eye health, put out a call for immediate global action for International Women's Day (8 March). The foundation called on global leaders to prioritise women’s and girls’ eye health, emphasising ocular care's crucial role in achieving gender equity and sustainable development.

“Eyes are the windows to gender equity,” said Jennifer Gersbeck, executive director of influence and scaling impact at The Fred Hollows Foundation. “Women and girls account for 55% of the world’s blind and vision-impaired population, yet limited access to eye care keeps them trapped in poverty.”

In partnership with the United Nations Friends of Vision, The Fred Hollows Foundation is co-hosting an International Women’s Day event on Tuesday, 11 March, 2025, at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Titled “No Woman Left Behind – Advancing Eye Health Equity for Women and Girls,” the event will include UN Friends of Vision leadership and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO to discuss global efforts to eliminate trachoma and other gender-based disparities in eye care.

“This is a critical opportunity to push for policies that guarantee all women and girls access to quality eye care. Investing in women’s eye health helps break cycles of poverty, keeps girls in school, and empowers women in the workforce," Gersbeck added. The event marks a key milestone leading up to the 2026 Global Summit on Eye Health, which aims to secure policy commitments for equitable eye care worldwide.

The March 11 event will take place from 12–1:15 PM EST at the Japan Society, located at 333 East 47th Street, in New York City (on the corner of 1st Avenue). To register to attend the event either online or in person, click here.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.