The Australia and New Zealand Eye Foundation has awarded grants totalling AU$228,915, to the following six significant projects aimed at advancing eye health equity and access in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region:
Top end preschool vision screening pilot: Bridging the gap in children’s eye health in the NT – led by Dr Nishantha Wijesinghe, Royal Darwin Hospital. Awarded $50,000.
Unlike other states and territories in Australia, the Northern Territory (NT) does not have a structured program to detect early signs of vision problems in young children. The Top end preschool vision screening pilot project is designed to fill this gap by establishing a pioneering program aimed at the early detection of undiagnosed eye disorders, such as refractive errors and amblyopia, in preschool-aged children across Darwin and its surrounding regions, in an area marked by a higher proportion of Indigenous Australians and migrant populations, along with lower average family income and education levels compared to the national average. The project will also help build local capacity by partnering with the Aboriginal-owned Deadly Vision Centre.
The economic burden on parents of children who need glasses – led by Dr Justin Mora. Awarded $1500.
This project will support a national study being run by New Zealand ophthalmologists and orthoptists within public hospitals investigating the economic burden on families when a child is prescribed glasses.
Our Vision Our Way: Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership of the next National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health plan – led by Lose Fonua, First Nations Eye Health Alliance. Awarded $50,000.
This project aims to help create a new National First Nations eye health plan following the retirement of two key policy documents: The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision and the 2019-2024 Strong Eyes Strong Communities strategy. Funding will be used to undertake strategic leadership activities that support and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership of the next National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health plan. Additionally, it will support The First Nations Eye Health Alliance with necessary infrastructure to undertake consultation and engagement activities with sector members and key stakeholders.
Papua New Guinea Paediatric Ophthalmology Fellowship – led by Dr Kimberley Tan and Dr Cesar Carillo, Sight For All. Awarded $41,315.
With an estimated prevalence of 5.6% blindness in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and up to 7.4% of children living with vision impairment or blindness, this project will support the training of PNG’s first paediatric ophthalmologist, provide equipment to establish the first children’s eye clinic, and support children’s eye surgery at the Port Moresby General Hospital. The In-Country fellowship teaching will be undertaken by Sight For All’s team of paediatric ophthalmology Visionaries, many of whom have previously trained fellows in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Slowing the Cone: Arresting keratoconus on the Coast – led by Associate Professor Graham Wilson, Rachel Cook, Dr Jason Rodier and Dr Sheng Hong, Gisborne Hospital. Awarded $36,100.
In New Zealand, Māori have a prevalence of keratoconus four-times higher than the general population. This project will create a targeted screen for keratoconus in children from Tairawhiti region schools in Gisborne, New Zealand, where Māori make up 52% of the population. The screening will be undertaken with a pentacam mobile topographer delivered by a trained nurse at the schools. Children detected with keratoconus will be offered immediate corneal collagen cross-linking in Gisborne to minimise the visual impact.
Eyes on Sumba: Empowering eye health in rural Indonesia – led by Dr Mark Ellis AM, Foresight Australia. Awarded $50,000.
This project aims to expand the impact of the Sumba Eye Program (SEP) in Indonesia where there are significant disparities in eye health. Initiated in 2007, SEP has been integrated with Foresight Australia since 2021. The program focusses on rural and often marginalised communities, and particularly Indigenous populations who are disproportionately affected by eye health disparities.
