Macular Disease Foundation Australia

Today MDFA proudly hosted our 2024 Year in Review event with people from the macular disease community. It was a special occasion to celebrate the incredible milestones we've achieved this year and to share our exciting plans for the future.   A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our inspiring guest speaker, Ceecee Britten-Jones from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Britten-Jones shared her groundbreaking research on inherited retinal diseases and how her innovative work is transforming the future of eye health, particularly in improving the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).    We’re more motivated than ever to continue reducing the impact of macular disease and supporting those affected. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in 2025.      #MDFA #YearInReview #EyeHealth #AMD #MacularDegeneration #CommunitySupport Kathy Chapman 

We were delighted to welcome three third-year Vision Science students from UNSW for a Work Integrated Learning placement here at Macular Disease Foundation Australia. Varsha, Jasmine, and Mouyad contributed to several impactful projects, enhancing our Eye Connect patient support information packs and updating our educational courses for healthcare professionals. As future optometrists, they gained valuable insights into the real-life impacts of macular disease, extending their learning beyond the classroom. The team at Macular Disease Foundation Australia wishes them all the best in their future studies and looks forward to staying connected as they advance in their careers. #Visionscience #MDFA #UNSW #EyeConnect #Workplacement

Attention Optometrists Time is ticking to complete your CPD hours before the 30th of November. MDFA offers a comprehensive suite of accredited CPD courses on macular disease, including our new chairside guide on geographic atrophy. Earn up to 6.25 CPD hours and join the 97% of surveyed optometrists who reported learning something new from our courses. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to expand and refresh your knowledge on macular disease. Explore our CPD program: CPD for Optometrists - https://lnkd.in/gYBAjueE #CPD #optom #optometrists #courses #vision #MDFA

Order our Free Eye Connect Resource Pack to discover how Eye Connect, Australia’s first tailored support service for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), can benefit your patients. We’re offering healthcare professionals a free resource pack that showcases what patients receive throughout 12 months of Eye Connect. This pack includes:  Eye Connect referral pad  Eye Connect AMSLER grid  Eye Connect flyer  Eye Connect vision loss and driving factsheet  Eye Connect journey map  Macular Menu Asian eating plan  What to ask your healthcare professional factsheet  Eye Connect Wet AMD mythbuster  Eye Connect referral pad The pack offers a glimpse of how Eye Connect empowers your patients with knowledge, practical advice, and emotional support tailored to their journey. Order your free pack at https://lnkd.in/gcWH3p_3 or call 1800 111 709. Help your patients take the next step in managing AMD with confidence. #resources #healthcareprofessionals #AMD #MDFA #EyeConnect #supportservices

I’m sure many of you would agree that migrating to a new CRM system brings big challenges! I’m very happy to share that we have just completed the process here at Macular Disease Foundation Australia, which will enable us to provide even better support to people living with macular disease. Our new CRM was also a critical step in ensuring the successful launch of our new Eye Connect service for people living with age-related macular degeneration. Big thanks to the Myrtec team, and particularly Tristan Hough who project led the transition for us. Couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s some more about our journey together https://lnkd.in/g33zHCKX #Collaboration #Partnership #ProjectManagement #BusinessGrowth #MDFA #Myrtec

Reminder: Macular Disease Foundation’s last webinar of the year on geographic atrophy. We are excited to have Professor Robyn Guymer AM present on the upcoming changes to managing patients with late-stage age-related macular degeneration. Join us to take a deep dive into geographic atrophy. Topic: The changing landscape of managing age-related macular degeneration with a focus on geographic atrophy   Date and time: Tuesday 06:30 PM AEST, 29 October 2024   Register here: https://lnkd.in/g7s-QKYy #CPD #webinars #healthcare #eyehealth #MDFA 

#research #maculardisease #MDFA

Join special guest presenter Professor Robyn Guymer from Centre for Eye Research Australia, to explore the upcoming changes to how eye health professionals manage patients with age-related macular degeneration. This webinar will focus on identifying those at risk of late-stage AMD and diagnosing geographic atrophy. Clinicians will also learn about important advancements in pipeline treatments for geographic atrophy and how to counsel patients interested in treatments.   Topic: The changing landscape of managing age-related macular degeneration with a focus on geographic atrophy   Date and time: Tuesday 06:30 PM AEST, 29 October 2024   Register here: https://lnkd.in/g7s-QKYy   #CPD #webinars #healthcare #eyehealth #MDFA 

The Federal Government is implementing a controversial recommendation from the taskforce review into ophthalmology Medicare items that will mean macular disease patients can no longer make private health claims for anti-VEGF intravitreal injections performed in private hospitals and day surgeries. Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) said the government had confirmed the measure from 1 July, 2025. It estimates the change to impact up to 12,200 patients. These people will need to start paying out-of-pocket costs to keep accessing eye injection treatment in private ophthalmology clinics, CEO Dr Kathy Chapman said, as “public hospital eye injection clinics and bulk billing private ophthalmology clinics are either not available, or already at capacity”. #ophthalmology #eyecare #funding

An “Australia-first” service giving people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) free access to health information is getting the thumbs-up from users. The Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) Eye Connect support service, which was launched earlier this year, offers people living with AMD access to evidence-based health information, practical advice and emotional support in between appointments with their eye health professional. Foundation CEO Dr Kathy Chapman said the early response to Eye Connect – which she said was the first comprehensive service of its kind in Australia – was very encouraging. “We developed Eye Connect because we knew that people living with macular disease would benefit from access to evidence-based information and support when they are not in a clinical setting." #AMD #eyecare #ophthalmology