Central Land Council
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CLC Press Releases
- 30 May 2008
- Seal the Mereenie Loop Road Now ›› more
- 27 May 2008
- Angela Pamela Negotiations ›› more
- 9 May 2008
- Angela Pamela and the native title process ›› more
- 18 February 2008
- Coalition should support permit system ›› more
- 15 February 2008
- Politicians threaten to derail fresh start ›› more
- 22 January 2008
- Police ignorance upsets Lajamanu community ›› more
- 26 November 2007
- Optimism for a fresh consensual approach on Aboriginal affairs ›› more
- 21 November 2007
- Concerns over Central Petroleum tactics ›› more
Seeing clearly after the blitz
About 50 people from Aboriginal communities around Central Australia have benefited from the Fred Hollows Foundation's latest eye surgery blitz.
The Central Australian Eye Health Program is coordinated by the Fred Hollows Foundation and involves the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation, the Eye Foundation and Commonwealth and Territory governments.
The program's manager Chris Masters said the aim of the blitz is to catch up on a waiting list that sees 320 patients on the Alice Springs Hospital 's eye surgery waiting list. He said 80 percent of those people are indigenous.
“The program is essential because in past years there has been a failure to meet the demand for comprehensive eye health services in Central Australia ,” Mr Masters said.
About 50 patients were treated during the latest blitz over five days in early November. One of them was Banjo Morton from Ampilatwatja, north-east of Alice Springs , who had his left eye operated on after his right eye was treated in an earlier blitz. Mr Morton said he'd encourage anyone to undertake the treatment.
“This one alright now. It's really good,” he said. “I'll tell em alright. It change alright. I'd tell em operation alright. It don't hurt that much.”
The head of ophthalmology at the Alice Springs Hospital Dr Tim Henderson says word is getting around to people in bush communities about the benefits of having the surgery.
“There's a natural reticence from people to come into hospital but it's getting easier,” Dr Henderson said. “Banjo had his operations because his brother had the operation six to seven years ago.”
Dr Henderson said many patients find the surgery improves their lifestyle greatly, including their sight when hunting.
“If you can get rid of the dense cataract and put a new intraocular lens in the eye, then very often the patient will get back to the level of vision they had when they were children or young adults,” he said.
Dr Henderson says an operation isn't always required and sometimes patients simply need a pair of glasses to be prescribed.