Welcome to the macular disease issue. May is Macula Month. As this issue of mivision is released, Australians will be voting in a federal election.
In the lead-up to the election campaign, Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) released a clear agenda for our next Australian Government to save the sight of thousands of Australians. This agenda, Fight for Sight, contains clear and practical recommendations that have been endorsed by leading eye health organisations, including Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), Optometry Australia, Orthoptics Australia, and Vision 2020 Australia. The agenda calls for greater government investment to make sight-saving treatments more affordable and accessible.
Currently, many Australians delay or forgo sight-saving treatments due to high costs and travel distances. With the number of people living with macular diseases projected to reach 2.1 million by 2030, the Australian health system is unprepared to meet this growing demand. MDFA’s recommendations include financial relief for pension card holders through a Neovascular AMD Treatment Incentive Program, which would encourage ophthalmologists to bulk bill eye injections for those most at risk.
Through the Neovascular AMD Treatment Incentive Program, Medicare would provide registered ophthalmologists with an additional AU$100 for each eye injection performed on eligible patients. By focussing on the most financially vulnerable individuals, MDFA believes this initiative would only cost the government an estimated $11.1 million annually, but ultimately save $140 million per year by preventing severe vision loss and blindness.
By continuing to support Macular Disease Foundation’s Fight for Sight agenda in the life of the next government, eye care professionals can help ensure that all Australians have access to the treatments they need to preserve their vision.
Together, we can make sight preservation a national priority and prevent thousands from needlessly losing their vision.
As MDFA continues its advocacy on behalf of the macular disease community, I hope you will join me in this fight to save sight.
Dr Kathy Chapman
CEO, Macular Disease Foundation Australia
