A Ballarat optometrist has taken the trip of lifetime and changed the direction of desperately needed eye care across the Pacific Islands.
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In partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation, Rowena Fuller was one of two optometrists chosen for a trip to Fiji’s Pacific Eye Institute in June.
Much of her time was spent teaching eye health nurses from across the Pacific Islands how to diagnose eye diseases and provide treatment. She said the nurses were “passionate and dedicated”, with the trip providing “ingrained help for communities”.
“Fiji is lucky … they have a reasonable level of equipment at that clinic. But at the other islands, there’s essentially nothing there,” Ms Fuller said.
“The students are picked from all around, so we’re creating a sustainable eye care system for five or six islands around the region that essentially didn’t have anyone there able to even do a pair of glasses before.
“It ensures that for the next five or ten years, someone will be able to cover it, and hopefully they can pass on their skills to the next person.”
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Closer to home, the Specsavers optometrist is dedicated to spreading the word about eye health, and how deterioration can have big impacts on a patient’s mental state and social life.
One poignant example was a patient overseas blind from cataracts for four years, but after surgery, showed little improvement because diabetes had destroyed his vision. He said “he’d rather die” than not ever see again.
“Whether or not it’s Fiji or here, eye care is really important,” Ms Fuller said.
“Most causes of blindness are quite preventable conditions, but often they don’t show symptoms.
“In Ballarat, we’ve picked up a few pituitary tumors … so it’s definitely worth getting a check even if you don’t feel anything.”