Specsavers has launched a new range of limited-edition frames featuring artwork by Ernabella artist and Pitjantjatjara woman Atipalku Intjalki, all to support the work of the Fred Hollows Foundation's Indigenous Australia Program.
The collection marks 15 years of partnership between Specsavers and the Foundation and the tenth artist collaboration under the program.
This year's release returns to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, where the first artist collaboration with Langaliki began. The APY Lands were also where Fred Hollows dedicated some of his earliest efforts to eliminating trachoma, establishing relationships with Anangu communities and organisations including Nganampa Health Council that continue today.
The featured artwork, Tjukurpa Mulayangu, depicts Atipalku's father's Country, including tjanpi (native grass) and tjukula (waterholes). The design centres on Mulayangu, a wanampi (water snake) whose journey across the APY Lands is said to have created the region's rockholes.
"For 50 years, I have made art here in the middle of my community. I paint my father's Country to keep his story alive," Atipalku Intjalki said.
"It's really lovely to see my artwork on the Specsavers frames. I make my work inside the Ernabella Art Centre, and when I walk outside I see the people in my community, and I feel connected to my Country. I'm happy that everyone, including my family, can see the work I make and the stories I'm telling through this partnership."
The release follows a recent World Health Organisation declaration that Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, once a leading cause of preventable vision loss among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
In 2025, funds raised through the Specsavers-Fred Hollows Foundation partnership supported the Indigenous Australia Program to screen more than 24,000 people, deliver over 330 surgeries and provide 3,600 diabetic retinopathy treatments.
Joanna Poon, senior frame portfolio manager at Specsavers, said the collection translates Atipalku's storytelling directly onto the frames.
"This year's collection translates Atipalku's artistic storytelling directly onto the frames, which have been designed and manufactured using sustainable materials," Poon said. "The result is a collection that blends contemporary eyewear design with a strong artistic influence, offering something both functional and visually unique."
Specsavers head of sustainability Cathy Rennie Matos added that the collaboration continues the company's commitment to improving access to eye care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Tanya Morris, Indigenous Australia Program director at the Fred Hollows Foundation, said many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could benefit from timely access to eye care.
"Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can benefit from timely access to eye care, with much vision loss being preventable or treatable through culturally responsive services and strong community-led approaches," Morris said.
"The recent WHO declaration that Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem is an important milestone for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health and a reminder of what long-term partnership and community-led care can achieve."
"Support from partners like Specsavers helps strengthen access to eye care, enabling more people to maintain good vision and continue participating fully in their families, communities and cultures."
Atipalku Intjalki has given permission for Tjukurpa Mulayangu to be transferred to the frames, with $25 from each pair sold to be donated to the Fred Hollows Foundation.
The limited-edition frames are available for $199 AUD exclusively at Specsavers, in-store and online, with each pair including a collector's case and cleaning cloth featuring Atipalku Intjalki's design.
According to Specsavers, one in four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults has never had an eye test, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to experience vision impairment or blindness than non-Indigenous Australians.
Over 15 years of partnership, Specsavers' donations have helped the Fred Hollows Foundation and its program partners screen over 155,550 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, conduct over 20,750 cataract surgeries and other eye treatments, provide over 16,400 diabetic retinopathy treatments, and train over 1,000 healthcare workers to deliver culturally responsive care.
Specsavers is aiming to raise $500,000 for the Foundation through the sale of the limited-edition glasses.