The Indigenous and Remote Eye Service team appeared in the MiVisionMagazine April 2024 edition. The article showcases the workundertaken by the team and the determination of members of the AustralianSociety of Ophthalmologists in lobbying for equitable access to eye care andtheir successful negotiating for the beginning of the Indigenous and Remote EyeService (IRIS) back in 2010.
More than 3,000 cataractsurgeries have been delivered for First Nations peoples through the IRISProgram since it was launched in 2010. IRIS began as a joint initiative of theAustralian Government Department of Health and the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists.IRIS is funded through a grant from the Australian Government and coordinatedby Vanguard Health.
IRIS is an innovative healthmodel that aims to address the eye health disparities in Indigenous and remotecommunities. Currently, the program is being delivered in the NorthernTerritory at MMM6 facility locations with patients travelling from MMM7 remotecommunities. The IRIS mofrl is an example of a hugely successfulprivate-public partnership where we work collaboratively to lessen the load onthe public system and smooth the way for more patients to access sight savingsurgery across the Northern Territory.
Read more about the IRIS team at this link: Lessening the Load Collaborating to Tackle Top EndCataract - mivision