News - Centre For Eye Health

Guidelines for Assessing the ONH and RNFL

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -1000

The gold standard for diagnosing glaucoma continues to be a detailed examination of the optic nerve head (ONH) and the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), as changes in these areas are usually followed by visual field loss.

The National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) has issued guidelines stating that health care providers involved in the screening and diagnosis of glaucoma should have the skills and equipment to examine the optic disc for typical glaucoma signs and optic disc rim haemorrhages.

In an effort to help optometrists comply with these guidelines, CFEH has prepared clinical guidelines for Assessing the Optic Nerve Head and Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer.

To download the summary document please click above, and to request copies be sent via post please contact marketing@cfeh.com.au

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT initiative boosts support for Prince of Wales Hospital’s Eye Clinic

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -1000

With the generous financial support of its benefactor, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, the Centre for Eye Health at University of New South Wales has presented a suite of general and advanced equipment to the Eye Clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital - as part of a partnership agreement between Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, the Centre for Eye Health and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) for Prince of Wales Hospital.

Valued at $300,000, the resources include sophisticated non-invasive diagnostic instruments, as well as lasers for diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

As part of the partnership agreement, SESLHD has appointed consultant ophthalmologists to provide services to the Centre for Eye Health, providing ongoing specialist ophthalmic care as required.

In Australia, it is estimated that at least one in four people are at risk of developing an eye disease, and many of these patients remain undiagnosed.

With over 75% of vision loss being preventable or treatable, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is focusing efforts on avoiding preventable vision loss.

President of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Mr Barry Stephen said that his Board was proud to be involved in helping people at the beginning of their battle with eye disease.

“Our hope is that by improving access to sophisticated ophthalmic equipment both at Prince of Wales Hospital and at the Centre for Eye Health, people will be in a better position to obtain timely and efficient treatment to avoid losing sight where possible,” Mr Stephen said.

For over a hundred years, Prince of Wales Hospital’s Eye Clinic with origins at Prince Henry Hospital, has been providing excellence in ophthalmic care to patients from local communities, throughout NSW and, on occasion, from across Australia.

The Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic was the home base for the late Professor Fred Hollows AO and has also provided outreach programs across Australia, particularly to Indigenous and remote communities and internationally.

Chief Executive, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Terry Clout said the contribution from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and the Centre for Eye Health is testament of its commitment in assisting the Hospital’s provision of patient care and research into eye disease.

“Establishing this partnership with the community sector and teaching institutions as the University of New South Wales - with which South Eastern Sydney Local Health District has a long and established relationship – is significant for our patients and our staff.

”Eye disease is often a manifestation of systemic disease and the location of the Eye Clinic a Prince of Wales Hospital with access to the on-site facilities of the Randwick Hospitals Campus and neighbouring University of New South Wales is ideal,” Mr Clout said.

“The partnership and contributions by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and Centre for Eye Health to Prince of Wales Hospital’s Eye Clinic, under the leadership of Professor Minas Coroneo, Director of Eye Clinic, Prince of Wales Hospital, will help facilitate the timely management of patients who are diagnosed with conditions that require specialist medical attention.

”In addition to improving patient care, this equipment is also essential to teaching and will also enhance teaching of optometrists, medical students and registrars at Prince of Wales Hospital’s Eye Clinic,” Mr Clout said.

Professor Michael Kalloniatis, inaugural Centre Director, Centre for Eye Health is passionate about the opportunity this partnership represents.

“When it comes to saving sight, early detection and timely treatment go hand in hand.

”The Centre for Eye Health was launched in 2009 to improve early detection. Today’s presentation of equipment and technology will go a long way in assisting the Hospital’s Eye Clinic to effectively and efficiently treat patients,” Professor Kalloniatis said.

State Member for Coogee, Mr Bruce Notley-Smith MP, praised the unique partnership between the locally-based not-for-profit organisation – Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, the University of New South Wales and Prince of Wales Hospital – part of the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

“Investing in these unique initiatives shows that they are truly leading the way in finding clever solutions to overcome public health challenges.

”I look forward to learning of the outcomes and benefits this partnership of locally-based organisations will bring to our community,” Mr Notley-Smith said.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has been helping people for more than 50 years. Funded entirely by public donations, and best known for the legendary Guide Dogs that help blind and vision impaired people to maintain their independence, the organisation also offers a range of other services and mobility aids for people regardless of their level of vision loss.

Responding to community need for more accessible early detection services, and acknowledging its importance in saving sight, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT partnered with the University of New South Wales in 2009 to launch the Centre for Eye Health.

Located on the university campus at Kensington, the Centre for Eye Health provides free advanced assessments for at-risk patients who are referred by optometrists and ophthalmologists.

With over 10,000 referrals so far, the Centre for Eye Health boasts state-of-the-art technology, 20 consulting rooms and a team of almost 30 clinical and operational staff.

New Executive Officer for CFEH

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -1000

CFEH is pleased to announce the appointment of new Executive Officer, David Murray.

David brings with him a wealth of healthcare and senior management experience.

With seven years experience across a range of operational and business development roles, David will help lead CFEH through its next phase of development, leveraging the strong relationships with optometrists and focusing on broadening reach into other referral pathways.

Working closely with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and UNSW, David looks forward to contributing to more success at the Centre and to working with the passionate team to save sight for more people through early detection.

NHMRC Guidelines for Optometrists

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -1000

The National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) released guidelines for the screening, prognosis, diagnosis, management and prevention of glaucoma in 2010.

In an effort to help support optometrists to comply fully with these guidelines, CFEH has prepared a summary of recommendations for clinical reference.

To download the summary document please click here, and to request copies be sent via post please contact marketing@cfeh.com.au

Diabetics, in our sight

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:57:40 -1000

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia. Around 275 people develop the disease every day. Whilst nearly one million Australians are currently diagnosed, it is estimated that another 1.2 million are living with the disease but don’t know it yet.

All of these people are at-risk of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy (DR), a serious ocular condition which can occur regardless of the type of diabetes, age or blood glucose levels.

Optometrists are now expected to identify and manage patients with early DR, although this can be challenging because patients can be asymptomatic, with good visual acuity.

Advanced imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), are increasingly being utilised to ensure the earliest possible detection and to monitor changes over time.

Unfortunately, however, such state-of-the-art instrumentation is not accessible for many people in our community, who can suffer irreversible vision loss because of delays in diagnosis and intervention.

CFEH is here to assist in such cases, providing advanced imaging and assessment, at no-charge. The additional information helps to appropriately triage patients, and establishes a baseline to monitor changes over time. The patient does not incur unnecessary fees, but can be referred to a specialist if and when it is required.

We encourage all optometrists to offer appropriate patients a referral to CFEH.

Typical referrers: why they rely on CFEH

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:54:52 -1000

CFEH has surveyed optometrists to gain a better understanding of the frontline battle against eye disease. In order to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for people at-risk of losing sight, we asked a range of questions, to understand what type of practitioner typically utilises the services of CFEH.

We were told that our typical referrers:

Are fulltime practitioners (68%) without therapeutic qualifications (76%);
Have been practising optometrists for between 11 and 30 years (72%);
Work in a full-scope independent practice (73%) with 16% in a corporate practice;
Are located throughout NSW, with the majority from central Sydney (28%), Regional NSW and the ACT (27%) or Western Sydney (20%).

When interviewed, our regular referrers told us that they see CFEH as an extension to their practice, enabling them to offer their patients a more complete service when required. Often working in disadvantaged communities, optometrists have told us how relieved their patients are when they don’t have to pay for expensive imaging. According to one Wentworthville optometrist “I send someone to CFEH if I’m not sure whether to refer them to an eye doctor. A couple of people who I have referred straight to an ophthalmologist in the past have come back to me to say there was no need for them to see (and pay for) the specialist.”

Available clinical equipment was also assessed in the survey, with 76% of respondents having access to general ocular instruments, the most popular being the fundus camera (69%), the slitlamp camera (29%) and pachymeter (29%). Visual field equipment was available to 86% of respondents, including access to a white-on-white machine (52%), FDT Matrix (24%) and/or an FDT machine (8%).

CFEH recognises the critical role that optometrists play in helping people to ensure early detection , and provide the optometry profession with access to clinical expertise, sophisticated technology and continuing professional development (CPD) to help them better care for their patients. According to CFEH Director, Professor Michael Kalloniatis “By investing in optometrists, we are ultimately investing in the long-term outcome for people at risk of eye disease”.

Measuring Impact, Two Years On

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:48:25 -1000

Two years on, Centre for Eye Health is making huge strides towards achieving its ultimate goal of preventing vision loss through the provision of advanced imaging and assessment at no charge to the general community.

Close to 7,500 people have been assessed at the Centre, with more than 44,000 individual tests performed to-date. Currently each day the Centre assesses an average of 25 people at-risk of losing vision unnecessarily, with approximately 15% of these people being recommended for on-referral to an ophthalmologist.

Although the initial demand was largely from the optometric profession, over the past 12 months ophthalmologists have not only increased their registrations with the Centre, but they have also been responsible for the largest relative increase in referrals. Currently 11% of referrals come from ophthalmologists who represent just 6% of registered practitioners.

According to Professor Michael Kalloniatis, Centre Director, “CFEH is having impact on more than one level. Not only are we making a difference to the quality of life for people who are at-risk of losing sight unnecessarily to eye disease, but we are leveraging the substantial data collected over the past two years to identify better ways of managing glaucoma. We are also working solidly to develop the profession of optometry through our ongoing education events and newsletters as well as by giving fifth year optometry students the opportunity to be involved in our clinical rotation program.”

Client feedback reflects the high calibre of service provided by the team at CFEH. In the words of one recent visitor to the Centre: “I was pleased to be referred to such a professional place... Guide Dogs and UNSW working hand in hand for this great patient-focused centre.”

Give the gift of foresight

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -1000

As part of our efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of early detection, CFEH has again sent all clients who attended the Centre this year a festive season reminder to talk with family and friends about the risk factors for eye disease.

The presentation highlights some of the lesser known facts about eye disease in Australia, and encourages those at-risk to visit their optometrist or ophthalmologist for an assessment.

Visit www.cfeh.com.au/yourgift to view the full presentation.

Register now for full-day SCOPE event in January 2012

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -1000

‘Inter-Relationship of Structure and Function in Glaucoma Diagnosis’

OPTOMETRISTS REGISTER NOW: Full day SCOPE event, Sunday 29th January.

International and Australian Experts
Lectures and Grand Rounds
11* CPD Points

The Centre for Eye Health (CFEH) is pleased to announce a full day SCOPE event to be held on Sunday January 29th, 2012. The day will include lectures and interactive grand rounds focused on the ‘Inter-relationship of Structure and Function in the Diagnosis of Glaucoma.’

Along with CFEH Director Professor Michael Kalloniatis, and Principal Optometrist Paula Katalinic, presentations will be made by the following leading experts:

Professor Ron Harwerth, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Optometry, University of Houston
Professor Paul Healy, Director of Glaucoma Research, Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney
Dr. Ashish Agar, Senior Lecturer, Department of Opthalmology, University of New South Wales and Glaucoma Specialist, Prince of Wales & Sydney Eye Hospital.

The day is an opportunity to better understand research on the links between structure and function of glaucoma diagnosis, to gain valuable insights from leading specialists, and to review NHMRC guidelines for screening, diagnosing and managing patients with glaucoma.

To register please click here for our all day January event. Please note all bookings must be made via the Eventbrite website.

CFEH, the site of a $1.1M NHMRC Partnership Grant

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -1000

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT (Guide Dogs) are two partners in a successful National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) partnership project. The award of $1.1 million will fund research over five years at the Centre for Eye Health (CFEH).

Officially launched in November 2009, CFEH is a joint initiative by Guide Dogs and UNSW to prevent vision loss through the early detection and monitoring of eye disease. The Centre promotes a ‘shared care’ model of eye care, and has provided advanced eye imaging and visual assessment for close to 7,000 people at no-charge thanks to the generosity of Guide Dogs and its supporters.

Various Australian models for managing glaucoma have been proposed, but their effectiveness has been largely unexplored. Using CFEH referral information and clinical data, this research project will determine current glaucoma practices, effectiveness in clinical diagnosis, referral quality, appropriate utilisation of new technologies and integration with complementary facilities and services.

The project involves a multi-disciplinary team of experts from optometry, ophthalmology, visual science and public health, and will utimately lead to more cohesive patient management, with an improvement in the quality of life for patients and a reduction of the the economic burden of eye disease nationally.

According to chief investigator and Centre Director Professor Michael Kalloniatis, “The NHMRC Glaucoma Guidelines highlight the need for appropriate and timely referral of patients at risk of developing glaucoma. In Australia, the primary eye-care provider is usually an optometrist, so this profession is well-placed to minimise the overloading of the health system – especially now they have access to the additional imaging and clinical expertise available at CFEH.”

According to CFEH and Guide Dogs chairperson Barry Stephen, “This grant will enable the broader health community to benefit from the knowledge generated through the Centre’s clinic. Most importantly, it will mean a better outcome for more people in NSW and the ACT.”

The NHMRC Partnerships for Better Health initiative awarded a total of $9.8 million to 13 partnership projects throughoutAustralia. The $1.1 million funding for this research project is the fourth largest partnership project grant, and will be administered by UNSW.