“Restoring sight is not just about the surgery, it’s about giving someone the chance to live a full life. And that takes all of us.”
Dr Lucilla Ah-Ching Sefo is Samoa’s only ophthalmologist and Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Ministry of Health.
Dr Lucilla Ah-Ching Sefo is Samoa’s only ophthalmologist and Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Ministry of Health.
Driven by a deep sense of purpose and inspired by her father, a doctor himself, Dr Lucilla has dedicated her life to transforming eye care in her country.
Her journey into eye health began more than a decade ago, when two ophthalmologists resigned, leaving a gap in services. “I put my hand up,” she recalls. “It was a challenge I took on—and I’ve never regretted it.”
When she began, Samoa relied heavily on visiting surgical teams. Cataract operations happened just once or twice a year, creating long waits and overwhelming backlogs. But over the past 10 years, that’s changed.
“I remember a woman named Sa’u, a schoolteacher from Savai’i,” she says. “She struggled to teach because she couldn’t see the names she was ticking during roll call. It’s heartbreaking when people have to wait that long for help.” Dr Lucilla is working to change that.
Thanks to our incredible community of supporters, Dr Lucilla is able to continue learning and growing as an eye doctor and provide sight-restoring surgeries to more people like Sau.
In June 2024, Dr Lucilla led Samoa’s first Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB), a landmark research project designed to collect data and guide evidence-based improvements to national eye care. Collaborating with Fred Hollows and Pacific colleagues from Tonga, Fiji, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu, the project brought regional and local expertise together for a shared goal: reduce preventable blindness in Samoa.
“Every restored vision is the result of a whole team, clinicians, policymakers, donors, and partners working together,” she says. “Fred Hollows Foundation NZ has been there from the start not just with my training, but supporting our team every step of the way.”
Thanks to our amazing supporters, Dr Lucilla and her team can continue training, expanding access, and changing lives – one restored vision at a time.
The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is a registered charitable organisation under the Charities Act 2005.
Charities Commission registration number is CC23722.
© 2025 The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. All rights reserved.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
