Representatives from the report Sponsor, members of the Advisory Committee with Members of Parliament. From left: Dr Amanda-Jane Ruth – Apellis, Ms Libby Croker MP, Dr Kathy Chapman – MDFA, Dr David Gillespie MP, Ms Meryl Swanson MP, Chris Edwards accompanied by Eva (guide dog) – Vision Australia, Judy Hatswell – Sight For All, Julia Hall – Retina Australia, Carly Iles – Vision 202 Australia

From left: Dr Amanda Ruth - Director Corporate Affairs, Access & Policy, Apellis Australia, Ms Libby Croker MP, Dr Kathy Chapman - CEO of MDFA, Dr David Gillespie MP, Ms Meryl Swanson MP, Chris Edwards - Manager Government Relations & Advocacy, Vision Australia, Judy Hatswell - CEO of Sight For All, Julia Hall - CEO of Retina Australia, Carly Iles - CEO of Vision 2020 Australia

Key Report Highlights

Australia’s ageing population makes it essential to address vision loss, which has a social and economic cost. The financial burden of GA-related vision loss in Australia exceeds $1.8 billion annually, including healthcare and wellbeing costs. Investing in interventions to delay vision loss offers a substantial social return on investment (SROI), with $2.21 of social value created for every $1 invested. 

Key recommendations include: 

  • Equitably funding vision support services for older Australians to maintain independence and quality of life.
  • Raising awareness of GA and the importance of early detection through a national campaign.
  • Providing public funding for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging to detect and monitor GA.
  • Creating a national AMD registry to track the true burden of GA.
  • Securing dedicated research funding to better understand and treat GA.
  • Ensuring timely access to new GA therapies once approved to prevent further vision deterioration.