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Visions of affordable eye health
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A low income should not be a barrier to accessing quality eye care, according to the Australian College of Optometry. The college’s head of community and outreach services Piers Carozzi said vision was a quality of life issue and all people, no matter their income or capacity, should be able to have their eyes assessed and, treated by qualified professionals. “Most eye problems are age related and every decade over 40 your risk of eye disease increases three fold,” explained Mr Carozzi. “The vast majority of eye disease is avoidable or treatable if detected early. Conditions like glaucoma can cause damage to your vision without you being aware, so having regular eye examinations is important.” The Australian College of Optometry is the largest public health optometry service in the southern hemisphere and is working with the Vision Initiative to tackle avoidable vision loss in the Greater Dandenong area. The clinic provides low cost optometry care for people in the community who are disadvantaged or on low incomes. Care is provided through a network of clinics in Berwick, Carlton, Frankston, Broadmeadows, Braybrook and East Reservoir. Outreach services are also provided throughout the City of Greater Dandenong. The Berwick clinic provides a full range of eye care services including comprehensive eye examinations, diagnosis and management of ocular disease, children’s services, contact lens services, visual fields clinic, disability services and low vision services. Services are primarily available to Pensioner Concession Card and Health Care Card holders. People with these cards are welcome to make an appointment any time. No referral is necessary. Patients receive a comprehensive eye examination, including the management of eye diseases. All aspects of a patient’s visual function are
10 DANDENONG JOURNAL Monday, 5 June, 2017
Head of the Australian College of Optometry Piers Carozzi conducts an outreach clinic in Dandenong. investigated including eye health and glasses prescription. General clinics are staffed by experienced registered optometrists. Mr Carozzi said the Berwick clinic also operates the Victorian Eyecare Service, a glasses subsidy program for low-income Victorians, funded by the Victorian Government. There are also special services for children and young people.
Vision problems can severely impact a child’s educational, physical and social development. Having regular eye examinations is the best way to detect any underlying vision problems a child may have. At the ACO, dedicated skilled optometrists are available to test young patients. The college offers full eye examinations to all children under the age of 18.
The college’s equipment is state-of- the-art including machinery that scans the back of the eye for disease, particularly macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. “In Victoria, over 1 million people have a health care or pension card,” said Mr Carozzi. “In this group of people are those who may experience additional disadvantage for a variety of reasons, such as homeless people, people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island descent, refugees and people newly arrived in Australia. “We recognise it’s hard for some people to get to the Berwick clinic for an appointment, so we have outreach services in community settings so we can provide eye care to those who otherwise might go without.” he said. Among the outreach services are monthly visits to Cornerstone Contact Centre in Dandenong to treat homeless people. Optometrists also visit Supported Residential Services housing the elderly and community residential units housing the intellectually disabled throughout the municipality. Regular clinics are also held at the Aboriginal health service, Bunurong, which is part of an extensive eye care program for Aboriginal people that the ACO is involved in. “Where people are having trouble accessing eye care we try to meet that need,” said Mr Carozzi. “We find a lot of people are struggling to afford things so having a program where the price is defined is really important. We try to remove cost as a barrier. “We don’t want people to go without eye care because they are worried about the cost.” To make an appointment at the Berwick clinic call 8768 5166. For more information on the Australian College of Optometry visit www.aco.org.au. For more information on the Vision Initiative visit www.visioninitiative.org.au.