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Restoring Sight Today.
Training Specialists of Tomorrow.
South Africa faces a growing shortage of ophthalmologists at a time when demand for eye care has never been greater. We restore sight today while investing in the specialists, skills, and research needed to protect vision for generations to come.
The Ophthalmology Crisis
A shrinking specialist training pipeline and growing surgical backlogs - leaving thousands of patients waiting years for sight-restoring treatment.
Our Mission
To strengthen South Africa’s ophthalmology workforce and expand access to quality eye care through training, service delivery, and research.
Our Vision
To build a sustainable and equitable ophthalmology workforce capable of meeting South Africa’s growing eye care needs.
Who We Help
We support young doctors pursuing ophthalmology by providing access to surgical training, mentorship, and academic opportunities that are increasingly limited within the public sector.
We also serve patients within South Africa’s overstretched public healthcare system who face long waiting periods for sight-restoring treatment and limited access to specialist eye care.
By investing in both future specialists and vulnerable patients, we aim to strengthen long-term access to quality eye care in South Africa.
Our Objectives
We are genuinely committed to achieving our objectives through the support of and partnerships with trusted affiliations whose visions align closely with ours
Training Tomorrow's Ophthalmologists
We expand access to surgical, clinical, and academic training opportunities for Medical Officers and registrars pursuing careers in ophthalmology.
Improving Service Delivery
The Foundation partners with clinicians, hospitals, and communities to reduce surgical backlogs, expand access to quality eye care, and restore sight to patients who would otherwise remain untreated.
Advancing
South Africa's
Eye Research
We support high-quality ophthalmic research focused on the realities of eye disease, healthcare delivery, and surgical outcomes within South Africa’s public health environment.
Meet the team
The driving force
At the Atlantic Eye Foundation we are driven to change the future of ophthalmology by bringing our knowledge and world class research to change lives with South Africa at the forefront
Dr Daemon McClunan
Director
Prof Hamzah Mustak
Director
Dr Pieter van der Merwe
Director
Dr Helené Sonnekus
Medical Officer
Dr Raeesah Suleman
Medical Officer
Dr Tammany Reddy
Medical Officer
Shelley Johnson
Foundation Manager
Kim-Louise Rousseau
Clinical Research Associate
Marisa Smit
Clinical Trial Manager
Success stories
What our partners say
"Transforming Eye Health -
A Visionary Approach"
Witness the impact of our collaborative efforts in transforming eye health and creating sustainable change.
Dr. Sarah Nelson
Director of Public Health Initiatives