Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have some words that I would like to read that many Australians—in fact, many people around the world—would be in a position to say they understand. The words read:

When the sun shines on my white wall I feel intense pain. When the sky is overcast my world turns dark. To be legally blind is to feel isolation, loss of independence and grief. I wake in fear—fear of falling, of being sent to a nursing home, of mortality.

Dramatic words they are, but these are the words of an elderly citizen in my constituency of South Australia. Until two years ago this woman led an active, independent and culturally rich life. She is one of 9.7 million Australians—or 51 per cent of the population—who, according to the 2001 National Health Survey, have a sight problem ranging in severity from short-sightedness to cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

Eye disease costs our country $9.58 billion a year. That is money that could be more productively spent on research, on early detection of eye-care problems and on promoting public awareness of the issue. Poor eye health is predominantly an age-related problem, with costs likely to accelerate as the population grows older. Almost 87 per cent of the population will have some form of vision problem by the age of 45 to 54 years. By the age of 75, if the problem is left unattended, it will have blown out to 96 per cent.

Care costs are tough to accept, but the hidden costs are of titanic proportions—care costs are the tip of the iceberg. At the inaugural Parliamentary Friends Group for Eye Health and Vision Care this year, many of these hidden costs were discussed. It was stated that research by the Centre for Eye Research Australia, in Melbourne, concluded that people with a vision impairment are three times more likely to suffer depression, two times more likely to experience falls and four to eight times more likely to experience hip fractures; that on average those with severe eye problems like age-related macular degeneration were more likely to be admitted to nursing homes three years earlier; and that poor eye health also resulted in a great degree of social interdependence, a rising cost in doctors visits and early death.

It is estimated that two out of three Australians who live until 90 will lose their sight before they die. These statistics are alarming. Vision disorders are now the seventh highest health cost in Australia. Labor endorses the global initiative of Vision 2020, the right to sight and the work of Vision 2020 Australia. Labor supports early intervention as a solution to many of these costly eye care problems. It is estimated that 75 per cent of vision loss can be avoided or treated if diagnosed early. One of the most simple and effective methods of reducing eye disease is to encourage people to have regular eye tests.

Labor is committed to improving the eye health of all Australians. It is committed to reducing the weighty costs. Labor is committed to the National Framework for Action to Promote Eye Health and Prevent Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss. Endorsed in November 2005 by the Australian Health Ministers Conference, the national framework outlines five key action areas that have the potential to lead to the prevention of avoidable blindness and low vision. They are: reducing the risk of eye disease and injury, increasing early detection, improving access to eye healthcare services, improving the systems and quality of care and improving the underlying evidence base. Vision 2020 Australia is a national body working in partnership to prevent avoidable blindness and improve vision care. Through advocacy and public awareness, Vision 2020 Australia brings together 54 organisations from around Australia. As members of Vision 2020 Australia, these organisations work together to support the national framework, prevent blindness and improve vision care.

More than half a million Australians have vision impairment. As the population ages, that number is set to increase. It is significant that three-quarters of vision impairment and blindness is caused by just five conditions. Age-related macular degeneration affects the area of the eye responsible for central vision. Two out of three cases lead to loss of vision and one in four to blindness, but early intervention and treatment can help some people retain remaining vision. Cataracts affect more than 150,000 Australians a year. Most can be corrected by surgery, but in some parts of Australia, such as the Northern Territory, patients can wait for more than a year for this surgery. With diabetic eye disease, early intervention can prevent up to 98 per cent of vision loss. One million Australians suffer from diabetes, and, unfortunately, many sufferers are unaware of the risk it poses to their vision. Glaucoma affects 200,000 Australians, and early detection can prevent or delay vision loss. Finally, uncorrected refractive error is the most common form of eye problem but one that can be easily corrected with prescription glasses. Other factors affecting eye health are accidental eye injuries and sports injuries. The severity of these injuries is usually very high.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a higher level of eye disease and are 10 times more likely to go blind than other Australians. Diabetic retinopathy, cataract and refractive error are common causes of vision loss among Indigenous Australians. Trachoma also remains endemic in remote communities of Australia. In fact, Australia is the only developed country in the world where trachoma still exists—shameful but true. Research figures indicate that those on the margin of our society, namely the poor, the mentally ill and the socially disadvantaged, have a higher proportion of eye disease.

There are many simple things that can be done to reduce the staggering costs of eye care in this country—simple things that would improve the wellbeing of Australians with poor eye health, promote confidence and save on the exorbitant costs of care. Market research undertaken by Vision Australia in 2007 revealed that 69 per cent of people of working age who are blind or have low vision are not in paid employment. A phone survey of nearly 2,000 people showed that 63 per cent of the potential labour force in this situation are unemployed, compared to 14 per cent of the country as a whole. Evidence now suggests that the actual proportion is much higher.

Prevention is better than cure. The good news is that 75 per cent of cases of vision loss are avoidable or treatable if eyes are given the proper care and attention they deserve. Vision 2020 Australia has some simple tips to help all Australians to save their sight:

• Have an eye test without delay if you are experiencing any changes in your vision, the appearance of your eyes are changing or your eyes feel uncomfortable
• Have an eye test at least once every two years if you have diabetes
• Check your family history for eye disease, particularly glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, as you are at higher risk
• Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses and sunhats when in the sun
• Quit smoking, as tobacco damages your eyes

Vision disorders and blindness are unacceptable in a rich country like Australia, which has the power to do something about it. Developing countries with far fewer resources have much larger problems. Within the next decade the number of blind people is set to double. Approximately 90 per cent of the world’s blind live in developing countries. Australian organisations like the Fred Hollows Foundation and Christian Blind Mission International work with AusAID in the countries of Asia and the Pacific to bring sight and hope to people gripped by poverty. Vision 2020 Australia is far sighted and innovative in its approach to eye disease both nationally and internationally. It has put this important issue under the arc lights, and it is our responsibility to ensure that those lights continue to burn brightly.