Eye Surgery Showcase Takes on Canberra

Canberra politicians were given the opportunity to ‘try their hand’ at complex eye surgery, with the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists (ASO) hosting its second Eye Surgery Showcase at Australia’s Parliament House.

The event, which was held last month, is designed to show our nation’s policy makers how ophthalmologists and the medical technology industry are working together to save the sight of Australians.

ASO Chief Executive Officer, Katrina Ronne, said ophthalmologists are leaders in addressing eye health diseases and conditions through surgical intervention, that would otherwise rob people of sight and quality of life.

“Close to one in two Australians have one or more long-term eye conditions that impact upon the quality of their day-to-day life,” Ms Ronne said.

“A further nine in 10 of us say that sight is our most valued sense, yet an estimated 90% of all cases of blindness and vision impairment in Australia are preventable.”

She said the showcase put the leading causes of vision impairment – cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration – under the microscope “with the added benefit of first-hand exposure to ‘experience’ eye surgery to truly understand it”.

ASO President Dr Peter Sumich said the showcase was about “taking a hands-on, experience-it-yourself approach to educating our elected representatives and healthcare policymakers on what is at stake”.

“It is an opportunity for them to speak to the medical technology industry and everyday eye surgeons to learn how they can better support the constituents in their local electorate or state.”

The event was opened by Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Eye Health Group, Libby Coker MP and Senator for Victoria, Senator Jane Hume. A welcome address was delivered by Associate Professor Kris Rallah-Baker, Australia’s first Indigenous ophthalmologist.

Medical technology innovators Alcon, Apellis, Astellas, Device Technologies, Glaukos, Lumibird Medical, Rayner, and ZEISS brought the tech with local Canberra ophthalmologists guiding politicians and healthcare policymakers through the surgical ‘procedures’.

Republished by Mivision.