Optometry Australia (OA) is calling on the nation’s major political parties to take vision problems seriously and improve access to optometry care for elderly Australians.
The peak professional body for optometrists is asking for a $22.6 million investment over five years to start deflecting what it describes as “a looming eye health crisis”.
OA said that for each person in residential aged care, home or transition care, it will only cost $0.93 per person annually to significantly improve access to much needed, regular eyecare delivered by domiciliary optometrists.
OA president Mr Murray Smith said the small investment – totalling $500,000 per year – would encourage many more optometrists to provide safe domiciliary eyecare services to vulnerable elderly and immobile Australians.
“To achieve this requires a shift in MBS policy as the current rebate of $24.20 per domiciliary visit is grossly inadequate, leaving many optometrists out of pocket. The true cost requires an increase to $85 per visit,” Smith said.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) 2021 Eye Health Report showed chronic vision disorders affect 93% of people aged 65 or over and the risk of glaucoma increases with age. Glaucoma Australia cites that by age 40, about one in 200 have glaucoma, rising to one in eight at age 80. Also, by age 80, almost everyone develops cataracts, according to Health Direct.
According to the AIHW, 536,000 Australians were in residential aged care, home or transition care in Australia in 2020. Optometry Australia said more effort is needed to support these vulnerable Australians through better access to regular eyecare.
“We want individuals and governments alike to recognise that your eye health is not a lost cause once you turn 65. While older people are more likely to develop a chronic vision disorder, early diagnosis and treatment can stop or slow the progression of many conditions,” Smith said.
He said an ageing population and an over-stretched tertiary eyecare system are compounding the problem.
“This is a recipe for poor outcomes, and often it’s older Australians that bear this brunt. We know that poor eyesight leads to more falls for elderly patients, and that 43% of hospitalised injuries and 39% of injury-related deaths are due to falls. Therefore, good vision and eye health for older Australians is important for reducing the risk of falls and hospital admissions,” Smith said.
The 2018 Aged Care Royal Commission explicitly recommended ensuring arrangements that provide access to optometric care, but OA has yet to see this commitment fulfilled, Smith said.
“This is why we’re calling for $1 million over the next two years to support the increase in the MBS rebate.”
Another key part of the solution to ensure Australians have timely, affordable access to safe eyecare, according to OA, is to make the best possible use of the nation’s highly skilled optometric workforce.
“We can do this by ensuring Australians, and particularly those with chronic conditions like diabetes, are encouraged to access regular eye examinations so eye disease, often asymptomatic in its early days, can be detected early and managed effectively,” Smith said.
More than 13 million Australians are reported to have one or more long-term eye conditions – with many undiagnosed cases – imposing an annual $16.6 billion economic burden on Australia.
By comparison, Optometry Australia is asking for a $22.6 million investment, including $1 million for domiciliary care, over five years which it said is needed to start deflecting a looming eye health crisis.
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