The Foundation's story
In 1981, three Sydney ophthalmologists—Professor Francis (Frank) Alfred Billson AO (pictured), Dr Frank Lane Ritchie CBE, and Dr John Wallis (Jack) Hornbrook—shared a vision to improve eye health services in the city they called home.
Today, the Foundation continues that mission by funding equal access to care, research, equipment, and specialist training at Sydney Eye Hospital.
The values of the Foundation
The Foundation’s culture is friendly, collaborative, stakeholder-centric, and focused on making the best decisions to support win-win outcomes for Sydney Eye Hospital’s patients, eyecare teams, and supporters of the Foundation.
Patient centred
Supporting the best treatment outcomes for the patients of Sydney Eye Hospital is at the core of everything we do.
Excellence
Striving for excellence in all our activities in support of Sydney Eye Hospital as a Centre of Excellence in patient care.
Collaboration
Working collaboratively with like-minded organisations externally and at the Hospital to deliver improved patient outcomes.
Transparency
Ensuring all financial decisions meet the highest standards of governance, responsibility, and impact.
Funding priorities
The Foundation has four funding priorities to ensure patients receive excellence in eye care.
Access to Care
With donor support, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients from regional NSW are able to access specialised treatment at Sydney Eye Hospital. Your generosity is helping us strengthen this pathway and extend access to more regional patients in the future.
Research
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Foundation funds translational research that brings innovation to patients sooner. By supporting this research, we help advance diagnosis, treatment and surgical techniques at SEH—improving outcomes for thousands of patients who rely on its specialist care each year.
Technology and Innovation
With 90% of vision loss treatable when detected early, fast and accurate diagnosis is essential. Donor support enables the Foundation to fund new technology and equipment Sydney Eye Hospital would otherwise not have, helping clinicians deliver excellent care and better patient outcomes.
Training Excellence
Sydney Eye Hospital plays a key role in training future eye‑care specialists. Donors support this legacy through Foundation‑funded training and ophthalmology Fellowships, helping secure excellence in care for years to come.
