Ophthalmology New Zealand (ONZ) has launched a new Facebook site to educate and inform the general public about ophthalmology and eyecare in New Zealand.
Launched in early May, the page, #Protect your world of sight, will focus on three areas, explained ONZ chair Dr Dean Corbett: firstly, what is ophthalmology and what do ophthalmologists do; secondly, articles and information about common eye conditions; and thirdly, more detailed information about funding eyecare in New Zealand, public versus private and what are the options. It’s intended to be an advocacy and information resource to help patients make better decisions about purchasing their eyecare and eyecare insurance, said Dr Corbett.
Currently in the first two phases of its evolution, the site has covered topics such as ‘optometrist or ophthalmologist?’, dry eye, smoking, glaucoma, macular degeneration (MD), cataracts and Pic’s Peanut Butter founder Pic Picot’s journey with MD. Promoted and managed by PR firm Sweeneyvesty with content supplied by ONZ members, the site reportedly reached 48,000 people and was viewed 52,000 times in the first two weeks of going live.
“It’s the first time for a while that ophthalmology has chosen to put its head up above the trenches, with a view to improving outcomes for patients and to bust some of the myths that have been held historically,” said Dr Corbett. “For instance, it would not be known that the public hospital outpatient departments in ophthalmology see more than the entire rest of the outpatient population across all the other specialities… And macular degeneration treatment, where New Zealand ophthalmologists have enabled the use of Avastin and promoted development of a network of nurse injectors to be able to supply care at an incredibly low cost compared to Australia.”
