Victoria’s key eye health initiative has been given a AUD$2.55 million boost in the Victorian Budget.
The funding will enable the Vision Initiative, managed by Vision 2020 Australia, to continue to raise awareness of eye health and educate some of Victoria’s most vulnerable groups on the importance of regular eye tests and vision care over the next three years.
CEO of Vision 2020 Australia, Jennifer Gersbeck, said the Vision Initiative is a key step towards preventing unnecessary vision loss and blindness and improving the quality of life for those who are already blind or vision impaired.
She said the impact of vision impairment and vision loss would hit hard as Victoria’s population continued to age with projections indicating 47 per cent of Victoria’s population will be aged over 40 by 2021.
The funding will enable the Vision Initiative, managed by Vision 2020 Australia, to continue to raise awareness of eye health and educate some of Victoria’s most vulnerable groups
“Eye conditions become more prevalent as a population ages. With the increase in the number of people affected by vision loss, impact on demands and costs for eye health and vision care services is expected to rise in the coming years,” she said.
Figures show that the total economic cost of vision loss in Australia was AUD$16.6 billion in 2009, with AUD$4.2 billion attributed to Victoria.
