Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today a very important meeting of global health experts and practitioners is taking place at the University of New South Wales in my electorate. It is an initiative of the Brien Holden Vision Institute. The global scientific meeting on myopia brings together the World Health Organization and global expert on research and treatment of myopia. Myopia, or short-sightedness, is becoming a serious public health issue. It afflicts 1.45 billion people throughout the world, and the figures are that that will grow to 2.5 billion people by 2020. One in five Australians suffer from myopia. In Asia, the figure is half of all the population. Myopia at an early age can bring on lifelong eye care problems, and if untreated can lead to glaucoma, retinal trauma, malfunction and detachment. However, correcting lenses can reduce myopic progression.

The Brien Holden Vision Institute is a world-leading research and development organisation bringing myopic progression measures to the general public. I wish to congratulate the Brien Holden Vision Institute for their education and research in this area and also the cooperative research centre, and I welcome our international guests who will be taking part in this very important global health conference.