Whanganui optometrist Ian Russell raising funds for Fred Hollows Foundation by running Auckland Marathon

Ian Russell, of Specsavers Wanganui, is running the Auckland Marathon to raise money for the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Whanganui optometrist Ian Russell is eyeing up the Auckland Marathon in his latest effort to help the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Russell, who is the co-owner of Specsavers Wanganui, is raising funds for the foundation in the lead-up to the marathon on Sunday, October 28.

He is a long-time supporter of the foundation and has seen first-hand its life changing impact on people in the Pacific.

"Here in Whanganui, we make a difference every day to how people see and function," Russell said.

"But in the Pacific people either have no access to eye care or must travel a very long way to see anyone. The more local eye care providers that can be trained, the better the level of care for communities will be."

Russell visited Fiji in July to help Pacific Island students gain a postgraduate diploma in eye care at the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva whilst also working in the Fred Hollows Foundation Mobile Eye Clinic as it performed cataract surgeries around Nadi. Russell helped the eye care nurses carry out sight tests and distributed glasses to hundreds of locals in need.

As part of its long-term partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation, Specsavers Wanganui donates a portion of every glasses sale to the Foundation.