A collaboration between the New Zealand Association of Optometrists (NZAO) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) is actively driving solutions to improve accessibility and reduce eyecare disparities, reported representatives from both groups in a joint statement.
Drs Justin Mora and Liz Insull and optometrists Hadyn Treanor, Renata Watene and Inhae Park said the organisations began formal discussions in October 2023 following the release of RANZCO’s strategic roadmap, Te Kitenga Vision 2030. The talks led to a shared vision for improving eyecare delivery nationwide from better post-operative cataract pathways to increased Māori and Pacific representation in eye health professions, they said.
Among the topics discussed was the enabling of optometrists to directly refer patients to cataract surgery waitlists; subsidising glasses for children with amblyopia; increasing the number of optometrists in public hospitals to support expanded scopes of practice and collaborative care; public funding for community-based eye clinics; biennial eye checks for older New Zealanders; targeted keratoconus screening for at-risk youth; and more.
Established as a result of the evaluation of vulnerable services during Covid, the Eye Health National Clinical Network has provided a great opportunity for those on the frontline of eye health to provide governance over equity-related initiatives and drive forward some of these ideas, said the group. “The network was established to improve access to eye healthcare for all New Zealanders and standardise excellent health outcomes. Members of the group include a range of eye healthcare professionals and representatives from ophthalmology, optometry, orthoptics, nursing, academia and Kāpō Māori Aotearoa.”
The network has three workstreams: child, teenage and adult. “These include nationally agreed access criteria for care in ophthalmology departments, national standing orders, standardised sustainable packs for intravitreal injections and cataract surgery and a plan for a national CPAC score to remove the ‘postcode lottery’.”
