Vision 2020 Australia has called for significant investment in First Nations and children’s eye health and vision research in its budget submission to the federal Government.
The national peak body for the eye health and vision care sector said vision loss costs AU$27.6 billion annually. It said more than 14 million Australians have one or more long-term eye conditions.
The submission called for $63.1 million to improve eye health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“Eye diseases and vision problems are the most common long-term health conditions reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Concerningly, blindness and vision loss are three times more common among First Nations people relative to other Australians.
“This discrepancy is partly attributable to reduced access to eye care services. Notably, approximately 90% of this blindness and vision loss is preventable or treatable if detected early,” the Vision 2020 submission stated.
Specifically, the paper called for funding to establish a First Nations Eye Health Alliance, “eye health upskilling” within the existing First Nations health workforce, and enhanced outreach eye care services.
CHILDREN’S EYE CARE
In its budget submission, Vision 2020 also called for vision screening for all pre-school age children.
“Children’s vision screening programs in Australia have demonstrated good return on investment… However, there is no consistent, national evidence-based approach to screening and in some jurisdictions, there is no screening at all.”
The submission called on the federal Government to adopt the Vision 2020 Australia National Framework for Vision Screening for the early identification and management of vision and eye health problems in 3.5 to five-year-old children.
It also called for a National Vision Foundational Supports program for children with vision loss. The program would provide 20 hours of specialist support for children with vision concerns.
This would “ensure that every child who is blind or has low vision can access the compensatory learning and capacity building they need to remain independent”.
“The program… would offer a mix of occupational therapy, orientation, and mobility, assistive technology trials and training, and early childhood education.”
Participants with moderate vision loss may “never need more assistance than this program provides”.
“But for those who need ongoing intervention, the program would create a strong evidence base to be used in the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) access and planning process.”
The submission anticipated that a cost of $19 million over two years would provide support services to 5,000 children.
VISION RESEARCH
Vision 2020 has also requested $150 million over the next 10 years, for research to prevent avoidable vision loss and restore sight through the establishment of a dedicated Eye Disease and Vision Loss Mission within the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
“Investment in eye health clinical trials and the translation of pre-clinical innovations provide a good return on investment, with every $1 spent returning a $10 economic gain (2009 figures).
“Australia and its researchers are at the leading edge, but ongoing investment is necessary to continue the good work,” the submission stated.
OA’S ‘PRACTICAL’ SUBMISSION
Optometry Australia (OA), meantime, in its prebudget submission, has asked for consideration of a range of practical, low-cost initiatives designed to maximise the contribution of optometry in the health system.
The OA paper called for adjustments to optometrists’ remuneration under Medicare, and highlighted the need to fasttrack establishment of telehealth items for teleoptometry consultations.
It requested “investment to embed innovative, collaborative models of eye care in the health system, enabling optometrists to practise in a multidisciplinary treatment environment, underpinned by shared data and enhanced use of digital technologies”.
OA also called for funding for targeted initiatives to better provide eye health services to people in aged care and to raise community awareness about the impact of myopia.
First Nations eye health was also a focus on the OA submission, with OA joining Vision 2020 Australia in calls to invest in the First Nations Eye Health Alliance and in building the capability of the First Nations eye health workforce.
Both budget submissions are available on the organisations’ respective websites.
