Dean Whelan’s eyes have been causing him pain for more than three years.
“It’d be like I got welding flashes in my eyes,” the 47-year-old said.
“People’s faces, I can see their body and their movement, but I can’t see their face, which is a blur.
“I can’t read certain things, I can’t handle a train pulling up, like the fast movement – I got to shut my eyes and look in the other direction. And I can’t handle oncoming traffic.
“It’s not too good, but I cope.”
He visited two optometrists, though couldn’t afford the recommended eye care.
But when he visited Kirketon Road Centre (KRC), a clinic providing healthcare to those experiencing homelessness in Sydney’s inner-city, he spotted a notice for Eyes of Hope.
‘We can do something’
Created by three clinicians, Eyes of Hope was set up to provide eye care for those facing homelessness and disadvantage.
After providing eye care for people in developing countries, the trio realised there are people who needed their help closer to home.
They witnessed those in need forgoing eye care, even though glasses are subsidised for many under the New South Wales Spectacles Program.
Shenouda Girgis, a locum at St Vincent’s Private Hospital with experience in ophthalmology, said there was a gap between the funded program and the people who needed it.
“We can act, we can do something,” he said.
“We can satisfy a need that will not get someone out of homelessness, but improve their quality of life.”
He and optometrist Marc Eskander and Rajeev Naidu, an ophthalmologist registrar at the Sydney Eye Hospital, began to tinker with an idea, based on their experience from providing eye care overseas.
They dug into their pockets and spent about $25,000, mostly on optometry equipment and establishment costs, to found the non-profit Eyes of Hope.
Three times a month, the equipment is carefully packed into a car and driven to one of four community organisations that already work with people experiencing homelessness.
“We’re overcoming the barriers to accessing healthcare for these patients,” Dr Girgis said.
Eyes of Hope provides eye care to anyone who walks into four sites in Sydney’s inner-city — OzHarvest, St Vincent de Paul, St Vincent’s Hospital and KRC – even if they’re not registered with Medicare.
After seeking treatment from Eyes of Hope, Mr Whelan received eye care and a pair of glasses under the NSW Spectacles Program.
Declining health forced him to stop work as a labourer, but he said the glasses would help him retrain.
“I’ll be able to read the computer,” he said.
“They’ll stop the headaches when I’m trying to read stuff, and I’ll be able to see people’s faces.”
‘Essential health care that they might otherwise miss’
Kirketon Road Centre is a clinic providing healthcare to those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable groups in Darlinghurst.
Wendy Machin, a clinical services manager, who has worked at KRC for 27 years said they “jumped at the opportunity” to work with Eyes of Hope.
“What we know is that if we can bring services here, then it’s a real opportunity for our clients to get that essential health care that they might otherwise miss,” she said.
“For some people, it means that they could potentially read a form that’s put in front of them to go to housing.
“Suddenly, they can actually engage in services that they might otherwise have avoided.”
Last financial year, an estimated 56,000 people received vision aids at no cost under the NSW Spectacles Program, according to data from the NSW government.
But Ms Machin said Eyes of Hope was bridging the gap between the program and people experiencing homelessness, as some aren’t necessarily aware the service exists, might feel uncomfortable and stigmatised in clinical settings, and tend to lead transient lifestyles, making it hard to provide details like a fixed residential address.
“If you haven’t eaten that day, that’s going to take priority over going and getting your eye health looked at,” she said.
Ms Machin said a pair of glasses could make a meaningful difference.
“It can be really revolutionary for people, in being able to join into society.”
Co-founders hoping to expand across Sydney
Stakeholders agree the non-profit initiative has promise, but they acknowledge there are challenges ahead.
The organisation is young – its ABN was registered four months ago – and it has to manage sudden demand.
But the co-founders are hopeful they’ll be able to scale across larger parts of Greater Sydney, after securing leadership training under a McCarthy Mentoring scholarship
Eyes of Hope also relies on the good will of highly-specialised clinicians and other volunteers, including five additional optometrists and 25 general volunteers.
But working in the organisation’s favour are the low overhead costs.
“It’s financially sustainable, we don’t pay for rent, we don’t pay for anything,” Dr Girgis said.
“And we’re providing a service these community centres are desperate for.”
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