Outback eye clinics risk closure as funding remains uncertain

For three decades the Outback Eye Service has delivered cataract and oculoplastic surgery to thousands of remote residents across western New South Wales, often preventing blindness among Indigenous Australians. Operated by a small team led by nurse manager Joanna Barton and ophthalmologist Professor Minas Coroneo, the clinic visits each location only a handful of times a year. Funding comes from the Fred Hollows Foundation charity and annual state and federal grants, none of which are guaranteed.

The staff argue that without stable, permanent funding the service could disappear as its senior leaders near retirement. Patients such as Wendy Lindsay, who traveled 280 kilometres for surgery, illustrate the vital role the program plays in avoiding long journeys to metropolitan hospitals. The Fred Hollows Foundation and NSW Health have called for the service to be embedded permanently in the public system. Without such commitment, the region risks losing essential eye care for tens of thousands of residents.