As part of the Terrace Eye Centre commitment to outreach services, Dr. Bill Glasson will be visiting East Timor for 10 days this month to provide both training and ophthalmology surgical services to the people of Dilli (Capital of East Timor), as well as to the province of Oecussi which is the enclave which sits within Indonesian controlled West Timor. Since independence, Dr. Bill Glasson with Dr. Kevin Vandeleur have been providing eye services to the people of Oecussi. Over that time there has been a dramatic improvement in the eye status of the average Timorise person. Thousands of cataract extractions have been undertaken restoring vision to many people that had been blind for over 10 years. This has restored their independence as an individual, allowing them to be constructive members of their community.

We have had a major focus on training the local Timorese nurses, optometrists, eye health workers and ophthalmologists. We have graduated two and soon to be six locally trained Ophthalmologists which will allow them to become truly independent of overseas outreach services.

Also, we have established new hospitals and much better infrastructure for the eye health workers to operate within. Our longer-term commitment will be largely to tertiary eye services at the Dilli eye hospital.