Our Community Eye Health Team sees two exciting projects get underway.
Eye Health Care in the Pacific: The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is collaborating with the University of Auckland in a project to determine the state of eye health care in the Pacific region.
Associate Professor Jacqueline Ramke and her team based in the School of Optometry and Vision Science are working in collaboration with the Centre for Pacific and Global Health to collect evidence necessary to support understanding of current needs initially. The work is intended to support future planning for sustainable good quality eye care to people in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). For more information see the University news story here and this Stuff news story.
Vision impairment in Aotearoa: At the same time, Jacqui’s team is preparing to undertake the first NZ population-based eye health survey, which will also explore hearing impairment and foot problems. This project has received funding from HRC as well as Blind Low Vision New Zealand, NZ Association of Optometry and the Buchanan Charitable Foundation. In addition to estimating the prevalence of sensory impairments and diabetes, the team work with communities and providers to identify strategies that can improve access to services for these conditions. Read more about this work here.