Establish a benchmark against which to plan for and measure progress in eye health and vision care

New Zealand’s eye health policy, planning and programmes should be supported by high-quality research and data collection systems. But New Zealand has no formal data on the prevalence or causation of vision loss. Other countries like Australia have strategies, policies and frameworks that give them up-to-date representative data on eye health conditions.  As a result, New Zealand has no comprehensive eye health strategies, policies or frameworks to plan for and measure progress in eye health and vision care. The first step in correcting this is to get truly representative and current New Zealand population-based data on the prevalence and causes of vision impairment.

Intervention 1

Conduct the first ever National Eye Health Survey in New Zealand, to inform future planning and funding decisions. New Zealand can learn from the Australian experience of running their first National Eye Health Survey.  As a first step, commission the first New Zealand survey using the WHO Eye care situation analysis tool (ECSAT). As a first step, commission the first New Zealand survey using the WHO Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ECSAT).  This will be the first ECSAT for New Zealand and the only pilot in a High-Income Country.

Educate the Public about the Importance of Taking Care of their Eyes

Every New Zealander needs to recognise the importance of protecting themselves against eye injury and disease, and then to know how to take care of their eyes at all stages of life. The New Zealand Association of Optometrists recommends a comprehensive eye examination every two to three years or sooner if you suspect something is wrong. But currently, not all New Zealanders regularly have eye examinations, mainly because they are unaware of the important role they play in maintaining eye health. Some of the major eye conditions that cause, vision loss do not display any symptoms in their early stages. If more New Zealanders were aware of the need for regular eye examinations, we would be able to catch eye conditions earlier and help people get the treatment they need.

Intervention 2

Convene a series of National Policy Dialogues to:

• Develop a national strategic eye health integration plan
• Agree a timeline and process for developing a national eye health strategy
• Use a stakeholder map to identify roles, resources and responsibilities Report on the Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ECSAT) findings

Intervention 3

Raise public awareness about the importance of taking care of your eyes. Celebrate World Sight Day annually so people know how to take care of their eyes at every stage of life.

Advocate for Government to increase funding for Eye Health Awareness, Education, Treatment and Rehabilitation

Our vision changes throughout our lifetime. Many New Zealanders currently don’t have regular eye examinations as they will only see an optometrist if their ability to see is being affected, and many aren’t aware that an eye examination every two years can detect early  chronic  diseases  and  save sight. Some New Zealanders, like those who have a Community Services Card, don’t have regular eye examinations.

These hard-to-reach New Zealanders (by geography and socioeconomic outcomes) are less likely to go to an optometrist.  These populations may have never had an eye examination before, which is the first step in accessing treatments, supports, and rehabilitation. The 2016 Australian National Eye Health Survey showed that almost two thirds of vision impairment can be fixed with a pair of glasses. We can assume that the situation would be similar in New Zealand.

Intervention 4

Advocate for funded eye examinations as a first step to increase equitable access to eye health services for at risk and hard to-reach populations. For example, Māori and Pacific Island communities are known to have a disproportionately high risk of eye disease, and vision loss.

Intervention 5

Promote the University of Auckland School of Optometry and Vision Science 'New Zealand Vision Bus' programme. This programme will deliver funded comprehensive eye examinations to key groups like geographically isolated communities, those in lower   socio-economic communities, children, and those in high-risk groups.

Timely access to eye health treatments prevents or slows down vision loss

If people access the right treatment at the right time, they can either have more time to adapt to vision loss, or carry on with their lives. But each year, more people are going blind and losing their vision due to lags in accessing treatments. Eye health professionals care about providing the best eye health for New Zealanders, yet system level issues mean there is an overwhelming demand for these services. This could be resolved by working with eye health professionals to  decide  where  to  target  extra  funding, where it can improve systems and  support  the  professionals  to  deliver timely eye health services.

Rapid access to support at the time of vision loss is essential if people are to maintain their confidence and independence.

People with newly diagnosed eye conditions should be told what support and services are available.

For example – Glasses loan scheme. Someone on a low income or benefit may not know about Work and Income’s glasses loan that helps with the cost of eye examinations and glasses. We know that currently people are falling through the gaps, and managing a deteriorating quality of life, before they access the right support and services. Systems for providing all people diagnosed with a vision threatening condition should be put in place to enable a rapid assessment of the needs of the individual, immediate advice and onward referral to appropriate health, social care, and consumer group support services.

When people experience vision loss, they should have timely and rapid access to rehabilitation and low vision services to help them learn to live with vision loss. Trained professionals deliver essential support services. Counselling supports people to come to terms with vision loss. Services like adaptive daily living training enable people to continue living independently. Habilitation teaches children to live with vision impairment at each stage of life. We know that currently many people experience a deteriorating quality of life because they do not access comprehensive vision rehabilitation services. Currently there are not enough trained professionals to deliver these services. Investing in rapid access to comprehensive vision rehabilitation could provide social returns on investment as high as $3 for every $1 invested.

Intervention 6

Advocate for timely access to quality treatment services to prevent or slow down vision loss. Working with eye health professionals to inject funding and resources into the right treatments will remove existing backlogs, ensure timely access to treatments, and decrease avoidable vision loss in New Zealand.

Intervention 7

Raise public awareness of the importance of early support for people diagnosed with eye conditions or vision loss. Early support services should be available at every eye clinic and optometry practice, allowing people to start to rebuild their lives following the devastating news that they are losing their sight.

Intervention 8

Campaign for Government to ensure rapid access to comprehensive vision rehabilitation, habilitation, and low vision services.  You cannot learn the new skills to live an independent life with vision loss in a few weeks. An additional injection of about $10 million is needed to deliver core vision rehabilitation to those who currently qualify but do not access core vision rehabilitation services. This funding needs to be complemented by strategies to grow the specialist workforce required to deliver these services.