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ACO extends bulk billing of eye examinations to all children under the age of 18

Posted on by Lauren Freir

The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) is proud to announce it has extended bulk billing to all eye examinations for children under the age of 18, with immediate effect from October 30. The public health eyecare provider hopes that the extension will remove any financial barrier to paediatric eyecare.

The change to billing includes all paediatric services including its Children’s Clinic and advanced Myopia and Binocular Vision clinics in Carlton, as well as services provided at the ACO’s seven satellite clinics throughout Melbourne. Established in response to the increasing rate of myopia, the ACO’s Myopia Clinic is the only public health clinic of its kind in Victoria.

The ACO has always been, and continues to be, at the forefront of excellence in paediatric eyecare. Led by optometrists with expert training in their field, the Children’s Clinic employs state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to assess each case. Treatment plans are always tailored to individuals based on the best evidence practice to achieve the optimal health outcome.

This dedication to clinical excellence is matched only by its commitment to public health optometry. The not-for-profit organisation feels strongly that cost should not deter families accessing the eyecare a child requires, including access to advanced care such as axial measurement available through the ACO’s Myopia Clinic. Many of the ACO’s services are heavily subsidised and provided at a lower cost, including myopia control options.

Zeinab Fakih, ACO Manager of Paediatric and Rehabilitation Services, played a significant role in securing the extension of bulk billing for all children aged under eighteen years.

She commented, “We are thrilled to be extending bulk billing to include all paediatric examinations at the ACO. We are very aware that risks to children’s eye health are increasing, particularly with the rising prevalence of myopia. Early intervention is essential to offer the best outcome for a child’s long-term eye health. Cost simply should not be a factor in whether a child can access eye care.”

Kylie Harris, ACO Director of Operations, said, “The decision to take this next step in removing financial concerns reflects the ethos of the ACO. We are committed to ensuring high quality, equitable eye care for everyone who needs it and as an organisation, we’ll always explore how to improve accessibility to our services.”

In addition to removing financial barriers, the ACO’s Children’s Clinic welcomes children with complex needs who may otherwise struggle to access care in other optometry settings. Equipped with highly trained optometrists, the public health paediatric clinic supports children with developmental or health conditions and special needs to access the care that they need.

Eye care professionals are reminded that referrals are not required to attend the ACO but are always welcome.

*For Medicare eligible consultations only*.

25 years of embedded ACO optometry services at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service

Posted on by Lauren Freir

The Australian College of Optometry (ACO), and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) celebrated 25 years of dedicated optometry services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples this World Sight Day.

ACO and VAHS staff were joined by colleagues and supporters from the Eye and Ear Hospital, Fred Hollows Foundation, the Indigenous Eye Health Unit (University of Melbourne) and Optometry Australia to celebrate the significant milestone. We were delighted to be joined by May Ho, Optometry and Primary Health Advisor at Fred Hollows and the first ACO optometrist assigned to the VAHS clinic in 1998.

The embedded optometry clinic at VAHS’ Fitzroy site removes barriers to eye care experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in mainstream services, which systematically fail them and drive health disparities.

Need for Community-Controlled Eye Care

The joint VAHS ACO clinic was launched in 1998, at a time when blindness was reported as ten times more prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than in other Australians. [1] Most of the vision loss and blindness was caused by diabetic retinopathy, which disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and can be prevented with regular screening and timely access to treatment. Following recommendations set out by the National Aboriginal Health Strategy, the ACO and VAHS sought to improve community eye health outcomes through community control and participation in service delivery.

Today, the VAHS ACO optometry clinic delivers culturally safe care with sessions running twice a week. Nilmini John, ACO Manager of Aboriginal Services, leads the team of four optometrists who service the embedded clinic. In this role, Nilmini works closely with the VAHS team to continually ensure community eye health needs are met.

“As health practitioners, we’re accustomed to telling patients what they should do but when working with First Nations clients, it’s important to ensure patients feel they are ultimately making decisions for themselves. We need to provide our patients with as much information, avoiding jargon, so they can make informed decisions regarding their health. This is self-determination at its core,” said Nilmini.

25 Years on

What first began with a single optometry clinic twenty-five years ago has evolved significantly to support the health needs of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. In 2018, the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) began providing ophthalmology services, with regular clinics running fortnightly. This addition has ensured that community members can access a full suite of eye health services ranging from primary optometry to laser and injection treatment, and post-operative check-ups.

Separately, VAHS Aboriginal health worker Kelli McGuinness was appointed to the new role of Aboriginal Eye Health Worker (AEHW) in 2022 to support eye health service delivery. This role was created in consultation with ACO optometrists and Dr Rosie Dawkins from the Eye and Ear and was made possible with funding from the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Gavin Brown, VAHS Chief Operating Officer is passionate about the growth in eye care services available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“VAHS is a recognised leader in the eye health space, and we also acknowledge the incredible work that ACCHOs are doing across Australia. There is a strong synergy by all those involved in improving the eye health in our communities as we continue to be committed to enabling the gift of sight.”

(L-R) Gavin Brown, VAHS COO; Kelli McGuinness, Aboriginal Eye Health Worker; Kylie Harris, ACO Dir. of Operations; Nilmini John, ACO Mngr. of Aboriginal Services; May Ho, first ACO optometrist assigned to the VAHS optometry clinic.
Natalie Tieri, Eye and Ear Hospital; Kylie Harris, ACO; Gavin Brown, VAHS; Zoe Hallwright, Fred Hollows Foundations; Nilmini John, ACO; Tim Fricke, ACO; Tracy Tran, ACO; Fred Hollows (previously ACO); Kelli McGuinness, VAHS; Lyn Lsieh, Optometry Australia; Guy Gillor, Indigenous Eye Health Unit.

Future of First Nations Eye Health

While much success has come from the dedicated eye care services at VAHS Fitzroy, the challenges facing equitable eye health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are many. In 2020, an annual update on the implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision reported that the rate of blindness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had halved nationally, but still stand at three times that of other people. [2]

Collaboration been health care providers and ACCHOs has proven instrumental for meaningful impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes, and the ACO is appreciative of the opportunity to work within community-controlled spaces, such as VAHS, to deliver effective care.

Dr Josephine Li, ACO General Manager of Rural VES and Outreach Programs, commented, “It is clear the best possible health outcomes are made possible with the leadership, teamwork, and guidance of community-controlled health services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. This invaluable input from community is essential across all health services and policies throughout Australia to improve the wellbeing of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

 

References:

[1] Taylor, H. R., Eye health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, 1997

[2] Taylor, H.R., Gillor, G., Anjou, M.D., 2020 Annual Update on the Implementation of The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision, 2020.

Dr Marianne Coleman introduces dementia-friendly eyecare resources

Posted on by Lauren Freir

Dementia Awareness Week is a timely reminder of the obstacles those living with dementia experience when accessing healthcare, including optometry services, and the steps we must take to create a dementia-friendly future.

Dr Marianne Coleman, Clinical Vision Research Fellow with the ACO’s National Vision Research Institute and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, has collaborated with Dementia Australia Research Foundation to examine how we can improve the experience of receiving eyecare for people with dementia and family caregivers supporting them.

Throughout this research, Marianne has worked closely with people living with dementia, family caregivers (both supported by a social worker) and eyecare professionals to identify and remove barriers to eyecare. Improving access to eyecare and thereby promoting better eye health helps people with dementia maintain their independence and live at home for longer.

From this work, Marianne has produced information booklet about dementia-friendly eye tests and eyecare. Designed in consult with Dementia Advocates, the booklet responds to the concern that people with dementia and carers were unsure whether the dementia diagnosis was relevant to their eye examination, or what would change about their experience if they notified the optometrist in advance.  The  new resource enables them to communicate the type of dementia they have and any difficulties they might face during the examination, such as spatial navigation issues, concentration problems or decreased energy levels.

View video of information booklet

Additionally, an online dementia-friendly eyecare training course underpinned by research insights has also been developed for eyecare professionals wishing to improve their practise. This training course will launch in December 2023. To submit an EOI for this course, please visit http://go.unimelb.edu.au/e8is

For a preview of this content, tune into Marianne’s Optometry Australia’s 1-hour webcast on Tuesday 19th September at 7.30pm – Register here

 

 

ACO launch Victoria’s first public health Dry Eye Disease clinic

Posted on by Lauren Freir

In response to the increasing prevalence of Dry Eye Disease in our community, the ACO launched Victoria’s first public health clinic dedicated to the condition in 2022. The clinic aims to improve access and equity of eye care for people with dry eyes.

Optometry Australia reported that over 77% of Australians will experience dry eye symptoms in their lifetime. Moreover, 36% of Australians report that dry eye symptoms make it difficult to concentrate at work.

Dry Eye Disease causes tired eyes, blurred vision, dry eyes, itchy eyes or watery eyes. Dry eye symptoms are one of the most common conditions that prompt people to book an eye examination. The Covid-19 Pandemic and lockdowns have exacerbated dry eye disease. Face masks have been shown to exacerbate dry eye disease in vulnerable people. Increased screen time for work, study and entertainment are also contributing factors.

Patients can expect a thorough examination to better understand how the disease is presenting and allow our optometrists to develop a tailored management strategy.

Specialised equipment helps to identify specific causes of dry eye disease, such as Incomplete Blinking, Ocular Rosacea or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. ACO is pleased to offer effective treatments such as Lipiflow, Meibomian Gland Expression, Lid Hygiene and home-based therapies.

ACO joined Dry Eye Directory along with clinics from around the world. Together, we hope to improve access and offer timely treatments for patients with dry eye disease.

Learn more about the Dry Eye Disease Clinic here or request an appointment online here.

 

 

References:

[1] Optometry Australia: 2020 Vision Index Report

Full house at ACO’s Dry eye and Orthokeratology Clinical Workshops

Posted on by Lauren Freir

On Sunday 16th July, the ACO held its full day of anterior eye Clinical Workshops, where optometrists had the option to attend both the Dry eye or Orthokeratology sessions or their single topic of interest.

The event provided a rare opportunity to gain hands-on experience in practical skills within a small, skills-based group workshop environment guided by experts in dry eye and/or orthokeratology.

Dr Leigh Plowman (Dry Eye Directory) and Varny Ganesalingam (ACO Dry Eye Disease Clinic) delivered face-to-face lectures highlighting updates on recent developments in the diagnosis, classification and management of dry eye. Following these lectures ACO Clinical Education Coordinator, Laura De Angelis, led a demonstration of both the Lumenis IPL and the Johnson and Johnsons Lipiflow system for the treatment of dry eye.

 

In the afternoon Orthokeratology workshop, specialty lens fitting expert Associate Professor Richard Vojlay guided an interactive practical session using real-life case examples. This session was strengthened by online lectures delivered by Philip Cheng and Alex Petty with advice on patient selection, lens fitting and troubleshooting which were made available in advance of the event.

The ACO extends its thanks to the expert line-up of lecturers and practical leaders, our delegates for joining us, and the event sponsors Good Optical Services and Lumenis.