Special investigation: Why getting cataract surgery depends on where you live

By Nicholas Jones, Political Reporter, NZ Herald

Today is an historical moment for the Eye Health Aotearoa Trust. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Roche New Zealand.

[John Mulka and Alexander Muelhaupt sign the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Eye Health Aotearoa Trust and Roche New Zealand respectively]

https://youtu.be/e3jIsennBTI

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and Kāpō Māori Aotearoa New Zealand have partnered to address the stark inequities Māori face when it comes to eye health.

Read more at Radio New Zealand.

Chrissie Cowan of Kapo Maori and Hon Peeni Henare, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health).

The World Sight Day 2022 Report has been released.

Aotearoa New Zealand's contribution via peak body Eye Health Aotearoa includes:

• The inaugural Love Your Eyes 2022 'Tactile Art Competition' and Eye Test Pledges;
• The launch of the “Eye Care in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022 – Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ESCAT)” report and free eye checks for MPs and parliamentary staff; and
• The presentation, at Parliament, of the petition for a 'National Eye Health Survey' to Minister of Health Hon Andrew Little, along with Toni Severin MP, Simon Court MP, Dr Anae Neru Leavasa MP, Dr Liz Craig MP, and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere MP, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Friends of Eye Health.

Read the World Sight Day 2022 Report here: https://www.iapb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WSD2022-WrapUp-report-v4-accessible.pdf (see page 6 for a spotlight on Aotearoa New Zealand with photo of Eye Health Aotearoa secretariat Dianne Rogers speaking to MPs in Wellington).

This month, Kāpō Māori Aotearoa (KMA) was awarded with a National Hauora Māori Partners Innovation and Sustainability Fund grant (2022/2023). Te Aka Whai Ora are proud to be able to mihi the important mahi KMA do to support tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau in the health and disability service provision. 

The Love Your Eyes 2022 Tactile Art Competition winners were announced at the Copthorne Hotel Wellington Oriental Bay on Wednesday 12 October. The annual Love Your Eyes campaign aims to raise awareness about eye health care in Aotearoa New Zealand, so that more people will get their eyes checked regularly and to encourage the Government to make eye health care a priority.

The winners of the Love Your Eyes 2022 Tactile Art Competition are:

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) wants everyone to love their eyes. As part of this year’s Love Your Eyes campaign, the IAPB encouraged people worldwide to get their eyes tested. The goal was to conduct 5 million eye tests in the month leading up to World Sight Day on 13 October.

On 29 September 2022, Eye Health Aotearoa took the petition for a National Eye Health Survey right to Parliament’s front door!

Listen to Radio New Zealand National's Wallace Chapman speak with Veeran Morar - optometrist and bus driver! from the University of Auckland - about the Vision Bus Aotearoa, New Zealand's first mobile optometry service.

Eye Health Aotearoa Take Their Campaign About The Importance Of Eye Health To Parliament’s Front Door

• Eye Health Aotearoa (EHA) hosted an event at Parliament to launch the “Eye Care in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022 – Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ESCAT)” report. The report can be downloaded from the Eye Health Aotearoa website

• EHA also hosted another event at the New Zealand Parliament, providing partial eye checks to MPs and their staff as part of the global Love Your Eyes campaign. The Love Your Eyes campaign encourages individuals to take care of their own eye health whilst bringing attention to over a billion people worldwide who have vision loss and do not have access to the eye care services they need.

• New Zealand is leading the way. Eye Health Aotearoa’s screening at the New Zealand Parliament is the first of a number of screenings taking place in parliaments around the world.

Photo: Hon Peeni Henare, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) ; Dr Liz Craig MP and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, Co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Eye Health; Renata Watene, Joint author of the “Eye care in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022” Report; Judy Small, Chair of the RNZFB Board, and Drew Keys from the IAPB; with Eye Health Aotearoa Trustees.

A New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme.

This is an opportunity to have your say by participating in the consultation about the proposed scheme.

Guide Dog Handlers are now empowered by a new tool to report access barriers within their community!

[Dan Shepherd and guide dog navigating rubbish bin]

A new report from Vision Research International shows the total costs of vision loss in New Zealand, including the total for lost well-being has increased to $3.74 billion in 2021, an increase of 33.6% since 2009. The economic and financial cost alone has escalated to $765 million over the past 12 years – an increase of 91.2%.

Eye Health Aotearoa Trust is New Zealand’s peak advocacy body on eye health and vision care. Our vision is for accessible, comprehensive eye health services for all New Zealanders. Our mission is to partner with Government to reform the New Zealand eye health system to prevent avoidable blindness.

As the Chief Executive of Blind Low Vision NZ, John Mulka knows that vision loss can have a devastating impact on thousands of lives. Not only those experiencing vision loss, but those who love and care about them. John said,

“Our research shows that people with vision loss are far less likely to be employed, three times as likely to experience clinical depression and twice as likely to fall.”