Eye Health Hero: Michelle Sun

For over 10 years, Dr Michelle Sun has dedicated her time, energy, passion, money and expertise to help Sight For All in our quest to eliminate blindness in Asia and Australia.

Her voluntary commitment to Sight For All commenced as a medical student in 2011, where she helped at fund-raising events and on administrative projects for over three years.

Michelle was a Director on Sight For All’s Board for two years (2018-19) whilst an ophthalmology trainee at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Between these ‘bookends’, Michelle has been involved at every level of Sight For All’s work, helping drive our four key strategies of collaborative research, sustainable education, infrastructure support, and eye health awareness:

Research: As an ongoing member of Sight For All’s Research Committee, Michelle contributes to Sight For All’s research strategy, oversees study designs for research projects, and contributes to research papers generated by Sight For All. She has also recently co-authored a publication from one of our childhood blindness studies.

Education: Michelle travelled to Myanmar in 2018 to educate ophthalmologists (and their staff) in four regional eye centres on the use of diagnostic equipment donated by Sight For All.

Infrastructure: Michelle travelled to Myanmar in 2018 to deliver much-needed diagnostic equipment to four regional eye centres.

Awareness: whilst an ophthalmology trainee at Adelaide Women’s & Children’s Hospital in 2019, Michelle oversaw the development of Sight For All’s Childhood Blindness Awareness program for South Australia.

As well as her expertise and goodwill, Michelle has donated $1000 each year since 2018 to Sight For All’s “Vision 1000” annual giving program.

Currently in the USA undertaking a Fellowship in Glaucoma, we look forward to Michelle’s return to Adelaide and her re-engagement with Sight For All, in particular as a member of our glaucoma training team. Despite living abroad for two years, Michelle continues to oversee research papers from afar.

Michelle is one of Sight For All’s most generous and long-standing supporters and a true Eye health Hero.

“Ophthalmology is such a fulfilling profession. It is a privilege to play a role in improving the eye health of patients both through clinical practice and scientific research. Being able to play a part in advancing the delivery of eye health in the developing world through the Sight For All foundation has also been incredibly rewarding. I love that there is so much variety in our work – from clinic, surgery, teaching, research to outreach, which keeps it interesting and busy!”

– Dr Michelle Sun