St John Ambulance Australia's Ophthalmic Program aims to raise funds to continue support of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEGH), and ophthalmic activities in remote Australia.
St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEGH)
St John Ambulance Australia has a very close relationship with the SJEHG in the Middle East, providing funding and support to the Hospital for 140 years. The SJEHG is the main provider of eye healthcare for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and many patients are referred from medical centres across the West Bank and Gaza. As it is the only charitable provider of eye healthcare, the importance of the hospital for the region cannot be overstated. Explore the SJEHG's website to find out more about the Hospital and to read engaging stories of the work done there: https://www.stjohneyehospital.org/
Read about the history of the St John Eye Hospital Group (flyer)
Read about the Mobile Outreach unit of the St John Eye Hospital Group (flyer)
St John Ophthalmic Association
The St John Ophthalmic Association was established to provide a forum for communication between ophthalmologists around the globe—all united by an interest in, and desire to support the work of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Please contact your regional Chair of SOA for further information about how, as an eye healthcare professional, you might be able to contribute to eye health in your region or internationally:
David Verity, SOA – Europe, info@SOA.global
Anne Coleman, SOA – Americas, doctor_coleman@yahoo.com
Nitin Verma SOA – Asia Pacific, nitver3@gmail.com
The Hospitaller
The role of the St John Hospitaller has its roots in the original Order of Hospitallers founded over 900 years ago during the Crusades, and in the medieval Grand Priory of England of over 400 years. Today, the Hospitaller manages the relationship between the Priory and the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital and other regions which require eye health care.
The current Hospitaller is Dr Nitin Verma FRANZCO, MD, MMeD, Dip NBE. Read about Nitin, here.
Ophthalmic Week 2022 (13th – 20th October, 2022)
World Sight Day is on 13th October so from the 13th-20th October, we will celebrate Ophthalmic Week at St John. The purpose of Ophthalmic Week is to raise awareness of our continued support of the St John Eye Hospital Group and to promote and celebrate the work that goes on in Ophthalmic around Australia.
The Eye Quiz is on again! From 24th August, every Wednesday for 8 weeks, there will be one question sent to Spotlite subscribers. If you get them all correct, you will go into the draw to win a voucher for Sunglasses Hut or a copy of our new publication titled A Beacon of Hope. Winners will be announced during our Ophthalmic Webinar on 13th October, 2022. More details to come.
During Ophthalmic Week, and more generally during October, we encourage all divisions to celebrate our Ophthalmic Program by running a night focused on an aspect of the program. It could be about first aid for the eyes, the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Resources below are there to support you and ensure that you have the information and activities you need.
Resources