Vision impairment and refractive errors in refugees presenting to community optometry clinics in Victoria, Australia.

Background: There is a paucity of data relating to refugee eye health in Australia. This study aimed at investigating the spectrum of vision impairment and other ocular conditions in refugees utilising the Victorian Eyecare Service operated by the Australian College of Optometry.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of electronic clinical records of 518 individuals (adults and children) recognised as refugees by the Australian College of Optometry and treated between January 2013 and May 2014 were identified.

Infection control guidelines for optometrists 2016.

Background: This paper provides an updated version of the paper: Infection control guidelines for optometrists 2007.

Methods: Information from peer-reviewed journal articles, guidelines from professional societies, and government health department and other websites and instructions from equipment manufacturers were considered in determining infection risk factors in optometric practice. They were used to revise the recommendations on disinfection, sterilisation and reprocessing procedures for instrumentation and other equipment used in optometric practice as well as personal infection control measures to be undertaken by staff.

Breaking down barriers to eye care for Indigenous people: a new scheme for delivery of eye care in Victoria.

This report describes the implementation of and outcomes from a new spectacle subsidy scheme and de-centralised care options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria, Australia. The Victorian Aboriginal Spectacle Subsidy Scheme (VASSS) commenced in 2010, as an additional subsidy to the long-established Victorian Eyecare Service (VES). The Victorian Aboriginal Spectacle Subsidy Scheme aimed to improve access to and uptake of affordable spectacles and eye examinations by Indigenous Victorians.

How Australian and New Zealand schools of optometry prepare students for culturally competent practice.

Background: This study is an investigation of how Australian and New Zealand schools of optometry prepare students for culturally competent practice. The aims are: (1) to review how optometric courses and educators teach and prepare their students to work with culturally diverse patients; and (2) to determine the demographic characteristics of current optometric students and obtain their views on cultural diversity.

Methods: All Australian and New Zealand schools of optometry were invited to participate in the study.