title: The short-sighted perspective of long-term eye health-care.
abstract: Eye health-care in Australia encompasses patients with chronic disorders being referred to ophthalmologists for detailed assessment and subsequent management. An increasing case load and relative decrease in ophthalmologists predicted over the next few years portend of an upcoming bottleneck in care delivery. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of patient care within a rapidly changing health system, we propose that minor adjustments to existing services could improve the proficiency of resources. Such changes will require service providers to rethink their positions and roles and actively collaborate with each other for improved patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia; Centre for Eye Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia; Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khalid Fahad
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Jamous
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalloniatis
authors.forename: Mei Ying
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jalbert
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zangerl
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019468:Disease Management; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000379:methods*; D009907:Optometry / Q000379:methods*
keywords: age-related macular degeneration; co-management; diabetes; glaucoma; health care; multidisciplinary; ocular health; ophthalmologists; optometrists