A vision aid team from the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland will be visiting Tonga for a week from 30 September to 4 October to provide voluntary eye-care to those who need it the most. The team will be based at the Eye Health Clinic at Vaiola Hospital.

Telusila Moala-Vea, the project's research coordinator, two optometrists, Germaine Joblin and Sachi Rathod, and a prosthetic eye specialist, Janice Yeoman, form the team that will visit Tonga.

In Tonga, they will provide vision tests and donate glasses to the participants in this community programme.

Part of this voluntary package for sustainability is also to provide refresher courses and training for nurses at the clinic so they can deliver these types of optometric services to the general population moving forward.

“We appreciate that the Minister of Health and Eye Health Clinic team in Tonga have supported our team through organising the team schedules in Tonga to ensure we utilise our short visit effectively," said Telusila.

Telusila Moala-Vea holds a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a focus on the health of Pacific people. She was part of the research team from School of Optometry and Vision Science that delivered the first Community Eye Health Pilot Study in New Zealand, which took place in 2021. This pilot carried out free eye examinations and provided fully funded glasses to Pasifika and Māori communities in Orakei, Panmure and Glen Innes. The programme uncovered significant unmet needs in these groups living in East Auckland.

The team is providing a similar project to schools in Auckland, targeting Pacific and Māori students.