The Queensland Eye Institute (QEI) Foundation has marked the latest milestone in its long history of saving sight, with Governor of Queensland Dr Jeannette Young officially opening its new home in Woolloongabba.
Dr Young AC PSM joined other guests, including Justice Debra Mullins, president of the Queensland Court of Appeal and chair of the Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation; past chief executive Professor Lawrie Hirst; and Mr Radu Safta, Romanian Ambassador to Australia, during the recent event.
They joined past and present staff members for a tour of the research laboratories and expansive new clinical areas.
The QEI Foundation has come a long way since 1965, when Dr John Ohlrich and supporters harnessed the fundraising powers of The Lions Clubs to raise money for vision research.
At that time there was only a handful of ophthalmologists in Queensland and eye health education was limited.
Dr Ohlrich believed research, teaching and improving the delivery of eyecare could save the sight of Queenslanders, whose vision was threatened by preventable and treatable eye disease.
His son Stephen recalls one Lions Club meeting, where John announced “I will sell 100 dozen Lions’ Christmas cakes. What are the rest of you going to do?”.
Stephen, who was a medical student at the time, said he delivered those cakes to Brisbane ophthalmology practices in his rusty Holden ute.
Since then, the foundation has explored different ways to deliver on its commitment to save sight.
The move from South Brisbane to Woolloongabba is the next chapter in QEI’s evolution.
The new building provides more space for its expanding clinical services and more efficient facilities for research and administration teams. The new building also supports QEI’s contemporary education program, research projects and collaborations with fewer overheads and less waste.
There are now 10 sub-specialist ophthalmologists practising at QEI, covering everything from eyelid, cornea, retina and glaucoma to neuro ophthalmology. According to the organisation, the depth and breadth of clinical practice ensure patient needs can be met by more than one clinician and give the doctors more opportunity to pursue research.
The building’s intelligent and energy-efficient design will save on running costs, ensuring more of the foundation’s resources can be channelled into its research, just as its founders had envisaged.
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