1. Who is ICEE?
ICEE (pronounced 'I See') – the International Centre for Eyecare Education, is an Australian-based not-for-profit, non-government organisation that is helping to bring much-needed eye care within reach of people around the world. top
2. What does ICEE do?
The ICEE mission is to help eliminate avoidable blindness and impaired vision, particularly due to ‘uncorrected refractive error’ (needing glasses to see). We work in collaboration with the community and with other organisations to target local needs, including:
 Immediate care
- Eyecare services: We provide eye examinations, glasses and referrals to answer the immediate needs of disadvantaged communities.
Sustainable services
- Education: We increase the number of eye care practitioners available for communities in need by training and equipping practitioners and educators. We also aim to improve the knowledge and skills of existing practitioners and educators with professional education, and to raise eye health awareness within local communities.
- Infrastructure: We are developing systems to distribute affordable spectacles in developing countries. We help to establish eye clinics and training facilities to foster ongoing eye care services. top
3. What causes blindness?
The five main causes of preventable global blindness are cataract; trachoma; onchocerciasis (river blindness); childhood blindness; and refractive errors and low vision. top
4. What is ‘refractive error’?
Refractive error means needing glasses to see. Uncorrected refractive error is easily fixed by an eye examination and the provision of appropriate glasses. However, in many developing countries there are little or no eye care services in place, and glasses are either too expensive or simply not available. top
5. How big a problem is vision impairment?
There are 37 million blind people, including 1.4 million children (under the age of 15), and 124 million with severely impaired vision, resulting in a total of over 161 million visually impaired people. [WHO, November 2004]
These figures do not include people with uncorrected refractive error.
Visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error (<6/18 in adults and <6/12 in children) has been estimated to affect as many as 200 to 300 million people. [B. Holden, ICEE estimates, 2005]. top
6. What is the impact of vision impairment?
Vision impairment has a major impact on the individual
- Vision impairment severely limits the education and employment of otherwise healthy people.
- Vision impairment directly affects all aspects of an individual’s life – education, health, employment, well-being, and social interaction. A person who is visually impaired has:
- Increased social isolation – difficulties with daily living doubled, ease of social functioning reduced by half, religious participation reduced by half
- Increased morbidity – risk of falls doubled, risk of hip fractures increased 4 times, risk of depression increased 3 times
- Increased mortality – risk of death doubled. [Centre for Eye Research Australia 2001]
Vision impairment has a major impact on the country
- Blindness and visual impairment also has a significant economic impact on a society.
- Recent research in Australia shows that total real financial costs (direct and indirect) of visual impairment were over $5.0 billion in 2004 (over 0.6% of GDP); and the net cost of suffering and premature death due to vision loss, over and above the financial costs, is estimated to be a further $4.8 billion in 2004. [Access Economics 2004]
- The annual global GDP loss in 2000 is US$19,223 million for Blindness and US$22,764 million for Low Vision [Frick and Foster, 2003]: top
7. Can we cure blindness?
 75% of the world’s blindness is preventable. [WHO, November 2004]
The treatments available for preventing blindness are among the most successful and cost-effective of all health interventions.
Particularly in the case of uncorrected refractive error – good vision is just an eye exam and a pair of glasses away. top
8. Are donations to ICEE tax deductible?
Donations to ICEE are tax deductible in Australia. top
9. Where does the money go?
Donations to ICEE and money raised through fundraising events and programs go to support ICEE programs throughout the world, including eye care delivery, education and the development of eye care infrastructure. top
10. Does ICEE work in Australia?
Many Aboriginal people in Australia lose their vision because of entirely preventable or treatable causes. Aboriginal people suffer up to 10 times the incidence of blindness than non-Aboriginal people. ICEE is developing eye care systems to help deliver much-needed eye care to Aboriginal communities. top
11. What is VISION 2020?
VISION 2020: The Right to Sight is a worldwide initiative designed to eliminate the major causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Established by an alliance of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and numerous international non-governmental development organisations, the program aims to coordinate all parties involved in combating blindness. ICEE has been involved with the global VISION 2020: Right to Sight since the program was launched in 2000. top
12. What is Optometry Giving Sight?
 Optometry Giving Sight is a global campaign in support of the goals of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight. The aim of Optometry Giving Sight is to galvanize the optometric profession across the globe in a united fundraising effort to give sight to people in need. Funds raised will be used to fund eye care service delivery, and more importantly, the education, training and infrastructure, that will enable countries in need to deliver their own refractive error and low vision services.
OGS is a partnership between ICEE, the World Optometry Foundation (WOF) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). top
13. How can I be involved in ICEE?
ICEE has limited resources and receives no government funding. There are many ways you can help ICEE, including:
- Make a Donation – via mail, on line, direct deposit or call 1300 66 42 33
- Become a village sponsor
- Host a Fundraising Event
- Become a ‘Grandparent With A Grand Vision’
- Participate in ICEE National Sunnies for Sight Day, www.sunniesforsight.org
- Join our mailing list and tell family and friends about the work of ICEE. top
 14. What is ‘National Sunnies for Sight Day’?
ICEE Sunnies for Sight Day is A FUN educational day where children can learn and get involved in helping others to see.
Taking place on the last Friday in February is ICEE Sunnies for Sight Day. Early learning centres, primary schools and secondary schools across Australia are invited to participate in this educational fundraising event. top
15. What is ‘Grandparents With A Grand Vision’?
This campaign invites all grandparents to make a donation toICEE on behalf of each of their grandchildren to help give sight to those in the developing world. top |
