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After 40 years of protecting sight and changing lives, Glaucoma Australia is entering a new chapter - one focused on creating lasting change in the way glaucoma is understood, detected and managed across Australia.
For four decades, Glaucoma Australia has stood alongside Australians affected by glaucoma, providing trusted information, education and support while advocating for earlier detection, better treatment and improved care.
Now, as Glaucoma Australia celebrates its 40th anniversary, we are taking the next step: leading a coordinated national response to glaucoma through Australia’s first National Action Plan for Glaucoma.
Why Australia needs a National Action Plan
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in Australia. Yet too many people are diagnosed only after permanent vision loss has occurred, and many people with glaucoma remain undiagnosed.
For too long, there has been no coordinated national approach to tackling these challenges.
The National Action Plan for Glaucoma (NAP) provides a practical, evidence-based framework for change. It brings together the people and organisations with a role to play in glaucoma care and sets out clear priorities for improving awareness, earlier detection, access to treatment and ongoing support.
The goal is simple: better outcomes for every person affected by glaucoma.
Achieving this requires more than one organisation or part of the health system. It requires people living with glaucoma, families and carers, optometrists, ophthalmologists, researchers, health services, government, industry and the broader eye health sector to work together.
That is the purpose of the National Action Plan: to turn what we know about glaucoma into coordinated action.
Three national priorities
The National Action Plan focuses on three interconnected priorities.
1. Catch glaucoma early
Early detection is one of the most important opportunities to reduce preventable sight loss from glaucoma.
The first priority is to increase awareness of glaucoma, identify people who may be at greater risk and support targeted approaches to earlier detection and diagnosis.
This includes improving understanding of glaucoma among the community and supporting approaches that can identify people at increased risk — including people with a family history of glaucoma.
Finding glaucoma earlier means there is an opportunity to begin appropriate treatment and monitoring before more vision is lost.
2. Enable people to live well with glaucoma
Being diagnosed with glaucoma can raise many questions. People need clear information about their condition, confidence in managing their treatment and ongoing support throughout their glaucoma journey.
The second priority is therefore focused on strengthening education, support and treatment adherence, while improving continuity of care.
Glaucoma Australia’s SiGHTWiSE program already provides free information, education and support to people living with glaucoma and their families. The National Action Plan builds on this foundation, recognising that supporting people after diagnosis is just as important as finding glaucoma earlier.
People living with glaucoma should be empowered to understand their condition, participate in decisions about their care and have access to the support they need to live well while protecting their remaining vision.
3. Deliver a joined-up system
Glaucoma care involves many different health professionals and services. A person may move between an optometrist, ophthalmologist, GP, hospital or other health service during their glaucoma journey.
The third priority is about better connecting these parts of the health system so people receive the right care at the right time.
A more joined-up approach can help improve communication, continuity of care, and coordination between services.
It also creates opportunities to strengthen how people at risk are identified, how families are supported, how patient experiences inform care, and how outcomes are measured.
From supporting individuals to driving system-wide change
The National Action Plan builds on the strong foundations Glaucoma Australia has established over the past 40 years.
Programs such as SiGHTWiSE demonstrate the difference that trusted, accessible support can make to people living with glaucoma. The NAP extends this work - from supporting individuals to driving collaboration and change across the broader health system.
It positions Glaucoma Australia to help bring together the different parts of the glaucoma journey: from awareness and risk identification through to diagnosis, treatment, ongoing care and support.
It also recognises the importance of listening to people with lived experience.
People living with glaucoma understand the challenges of diagnosis, treatment and navigating the health system firsthand. Their experiences need to inform how glaucoma services are designed and delivered.
Working together for change
The National Action Plan was developed through extensive consultation and collaboration with people living with glaucoma, clinicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, government, industry and other health-sector stakeholders.
Glaucoma Australia is now advocating for action - working with governments and health-sector partners to turn the priorities in the NAP into measurable improvements for people affected by glaucoma.
Partnerships with organisations including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), Optometry Australia, the First Nations Eye Health Alliance and Vision 2020, along with clinical leaders, industry, philanthropic partners and people living with glaucoma, are helping drive this work forward.
No single organisation can transform glaucoma care alone. The strength of the National Action Plan lies in bringing these perspectives and areas of expertise together around a shared goal.
The potential to make a significant difference
The National Action Plan is not only about improving health outcomes. Better detection, treatment and coordination of care could also deliver significant benefits for the Australian health system.
Economic modelling indicates that implementing the NAP could reduce the burden on the public purse by $455 million over the next decade, while supporting a more coordinated and sustainable approach to glaucoma care.*
This modelling highlights the broader impact of preventing avoidable sight loss. Earlier detection and appropriate management can help people maintain their independence and quality of life, while potentially reducing the longer-term costs associated with vision loss.
A new chapter for glaucoma in Australia
The launch of the National Action Plan represents an important milestone in the history of glaucoma in Australia.
After 40 years of building awareness, supporting people affected by glaucoma, investing in research and advocating for better outcomes, Glaucoma Australia is now focused on turning that experience into action at a national level.
We know what needs to change. The National Action Plan sets out how we can work together to make that change happen.
Glaucoma Australia will continue to advocate, collaborate and lead - bringing people and organisations together to improve early detection, strengthen access to care, support people living with glaucoma and address inequities in glaucoma outcomes.
Our next chapter is about turning 40 years of knowledge, experience and commitment into action - so more Australians can find glaucoma earlier, access the care they need and protect their sight.
Our vision is for a future where glaucoma is detected earlier, people living with glaucoma are supported to live well, and care is connected, equitable and accessible. Ultimately, we want to help ensure that fewer Australians lose their sight unnecessarily.
That is the ambition of Australia’s National Action Plan for Glaucoma.
Source
* Updated economic modelling based on Dirani et al. (2011), Economic impact of primary open-angle glaucoma in Australia; 2025 dollar values, projected 2026–2045.
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