Dr Louise Robinson recently featured in RANZCO's Eye2Eye magazine about the wonderful rural community eye care work delivered by the IDEAS van in Central Queensland.
The IDEAS van visits remote areas, teaming up with local hospitals and leading ophthalmologists to prevent blindness, and reduce visual impairment.
Article Excerpt:
Dr. Robinson said, “I have been going to Gladstone to work in the IDEAS Van facility since it began in 2019. Through the van, the Eye Team and I can a service the population of Gladstone and its surrounds.
“Remarkably a whole eye clinic, except a couple of pieces of equipment, can neatly fit into an air-conditioned 19-meter trailer. This enables us, with the help of the local optometrist who helps us with visual fields, to provide a full service to the local community including YAG laser procedures, as well as anti-VEGF injections.
“The patients I see with blurred vision have ranged from 18 to 103 years old in age. The main reason for these patients’ blurry vision is predominantly cataracts. Many of the patients are unable to drive due to their vision. This can be very isolating in the remote areas they live in, as they then become dependent upon others for even simple trips to the shops. It is great to be able to improve these patients’ vision and therefore their quality of life.”
