A man on a mission

When Dr James Muecke was named 2020 Australian of the Year in January, he put “waging a war on type 2 diabetes” firmly in his sights. We asked him why – and how he’s going about it...

As an eye surgeon, Dr. James Muecke knows first-hand the impact diabetes can have on a person’s vision.

“Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age Australians,” says Dr. Muecke, the co-founder of Sight For All, a charity that raises funds to deliver eye-healthcare projects free of charge all around the world, and who was named 2020 Australian of the Year for his work in fighting blindness.

“Yet most diabetes-related blindness can be prevented or treated.” And, in November 2019, when Dr. Muecke was named South Australia’s Australian of the Year for 2020, he decided to focus his efforts on doing just that. But then, when he took out the national award two months later, he decided to go one better.

“When I was recognised as Australian of the Year, an accolade I accepted on behalf of an enormous team effort, I thought, rather than simply trying to prevent the blindness caused by diabetes, what if we went one step further and focused on fighting diabetes itself?” he says.

So, when it comes to type 2 diabetes, that’s exactly what he’s trying to do.

A sweet solution?