Volunteers - Eyes of Hope Mobile Optical Clinics

At Eyes of Hope, we're dedicated to bringing the gift of sight to the homeless population of New South Wales (NSW) through our pioneering mobile eye clinic. With over 35,000 homeless individuals in NSW, many of whom suffer from suffer from reduced vision due to short-sightedness, long-sightedness or reduced reading vision due to age, our mission is to provide eye checks and free glasses, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their situation, can see a better future.

Our mobile clinic is where our mission comes to life. We provide our services through our community partners’ space and service the homeless and vulnerable population around these areas. We rotate through three community spaces, performing a monthly clinic in each space. Our clinic has a strict no turn away policy.

Benefits

• Make a genuine difference in the lives of homeless and vulnerable people.
• Gain valuable experience in the not-for-profit and health service sector.
• Develop transferable skills in communication, teamwork, and organisation.
• Build meaningful connections with like-minded volunteers who are passionate about eye health and community impact.
• Work with individuals from diverse backgrounds, gaining deeper insight into different lived experiences.

Time Commitment Each volunteer is asked to commit to regular shifts – ideally one shift per month (or a couple each quarter), with each shift running from 10am to 3pm. Currently our clinics run on Mondays (additional days will be offered in the new year) and volunteers are able to choose their shifts based on their personal preferences and availability and our current vacancies. Before you start volunteering, you will need to undertake some training about the organisation and your role.

Available Volunteer Roles

**- Fully Qualified Optometrists

• Optical Clinic Assistants
• Clinic Van Drivers**

Optometrists With a Degree in Optometry combined with a valid practicing licence and proven experience in clinical practice, our volunteer Optometrists are vital to the operation of our clinics. Your main responsibilities include: conducting eye examinations (using portable optometric equipment); prescribing glasses; providing high-quality and compassionate patient care; accurately documenting all patient records; and, assisting with setting up and running a safe and professional clinic.

Optical Clinic Assistants Although it’s not essential, many of our Clinic Heroes (yes, that’s how we think of you!) have certification and/or experience in optical dispensing, vision science, or another related field. Your vital role is to support our entire clinic operations, and your main responsibilities include: helping setting up and packing down our mobile clinics; greeting and interacting with patients in a friendly and respectful manner - ensuring they feel comfortable and valued; interpreting prescriptions; assisting with frame selection; processing orders and maintaining accurate patient records.

Clinic Van Drivers Our Clinic Van Drivers play a key role in the smooth operation of our mobile clinics by transporting equipment from our parking location in Sydney’s CBD to our designated clinic locations and back. Your main responsibilities include: loading and unloading equipment; assisting with setup and pack down at the clinic sites; conducting basic vehicle checks before driving; maintaining a clean and organised vehicle; and performing van equipment stocktakes at the end of each clinic. You will need to be available for pick-up, drop-off and on-site support during clinic hours.