In 2020, Dr Muecke was awarded Australian of the Year in recognition for his many decades of pioneering blindness prevention, particularly in South East Asia. He cofounded ‘Vision Myanmar’ and ‘Sight for All’, both initiatives to help prevent and treat blindness.

These days, Dr Muecke is championing action to prevent Type 2 diabetes – a preventable disease and the leading cause of blindness in Australian adults.

His profile is helping raise awareness of the role sugar and processed foods play in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.