Eye Care Clinics

St John has established 14 Eye Care clinics in major Centres around South Africa. Each clinic performs professional eye testing and dispenses spectacles to those members of the South African community who are unable to afford commercial rates. In addition these clinics diagnose cases where patients require corrective surgery such as cataract operations and refer them to eye hospitals for treatment. This screening process enables the hospitals to concentrate on their primary function of surgery.

During the past financial year, St John Eye Care Clinics examined 22 481 patients, provided
15 502 pairs of spectacles (only a choice of basic frames is offered to ensure that we do not compete unfavourably with the commercial market) and referred 1 970 patients to hospitals for specialist treatment.

Commercial trading in the middle and lower market segments is encouraged in order to generate contributions that will assist the welfare activities of clinics. St John Eye Care clinics operate at break-even level.

Any additional functions or activities must first be approved by the Priory Executive, which must be kept informed of proposals and progress via the Chief Executive Officer.

Optometrists who practice at St John Eye Care Clinics must be members of the South African Optometric Association.

St John Eye Care Clinics operate in the following towns and cities in South Africa:

• Baragwanath
• Bloemfontein
• Braamfontein
• Cape Town
• Durban
• East London
• Fish Hoek
• George
• Grahamstown
• Port Elizabeth
• Pretoria
• Westbury

In 1951 the Order of St John in South Africa founded, funded and operated the first and largest ophthalmic hospital of its kind in Africa. This centre of ophthalmic excellence still operates today at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. So well known and respected is this ophthalmic hospital that although it was handed over to the Provincial Administration in 1974, it still operates under the name “The St John Eye Hospital’ today.