Ian Delaney was struggling with everyday life as his vision deteriorated. or signup to continue reading "In my right eye everything was very blurry," said the 70-year-old Quandamooka man. "Not having clear vision was a problem making simple things like walking around the house hard.
"I had to be careful not to trip or fall over." First Nations people suffer blindness at about six times the rate of non-Indigenous people, which Mater Hospital ophthalmologist Jon Farrah said was shocking. "We've got six times the rate of poor vision in the Indigenous population, we've got 90 per cent that's treatable and about a third of that is actually cataract blindness," Dr Farrah told AAP.
"It's pretty important to address it." The effects of cataracts like Mr Delaney's can be debilitating, but public waiting lists can be long, hospital settings overwhelming and specialist appointments inaccessible or expensive, so cataracts can go untreated. But through the cataract pathway program, run by the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health and Mater Hospital, groups of up to 30 patients are having their eyesight restored.
More than 1000 cataract operations have been performed so far under the program. Institute optometrist Celia McCarthy said while it can be stressful and intimidating to go to hospital, bringing in groups of patients to the Mater Springfield can make the waiting room feel less scary. Being supported by health workers they know builds trust in a system that hasn't always been accessi.
