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AN ELDERLY Bundaberg woman is furious she has to travel out of town to have sight-saving surgery.

The 71-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, can't understand why cataract surgery is no long available in the Rum City.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision.

The woman was advised the surgery contract was given to an ophthalmologist in Hervey Bay and it was her only option.

"It's not easy for somebody who can't see or drive to get to Hervey Bay, she said.

"And it's day surgery so you need to have someone collect you.

Symptoms include blurry vision, seeing faded colours and halos around light and trouble with bright lights and seeing at night.

Surgery involves removing the natural lens and inserting an artificial one.

The said if there were no ophthalmologist in the Bundaberg area she would understand, but while there were at least two in town she found it baffling.

If the option to go to Brisbane was on the table the woman said she would take it, because transport would be easier.

"It's just crazy the blind have to travel two towns away to get the surgery, she said.

"My first eye was done here but because they've changed it I have to leave Bundaberg.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service chief executive Adrian Pennington said before 2015 cataract surgery was not available in Wide Bay at all.

"Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service has recently negotiated a new contract with Hervey Bay Surgical Hospital to provide cataract surgery for all Wide Bay public patients, he said.

This means people's only options were either to sit on a lengthy waiting list in Brisbane while their eyesight deteriorated further, or to pay privately - often at a cost of thousands of dollars.

"Travelling to Brisbane also means significant inconvenience, he said.

"Importantly, the new contract with Hervey Bay Surgical Hospital is delivering cataract surgery at a better price than our previous contract, meaning these services can sustainably be provided locally in Wide Bay.

Mr Pennington said under the arrangements, patients got high-quality care at the right time in their home region, and could claim the Patient Travel Subsidy if eligible.

He said patients were given comprehensive information about public transport options if they were unable to drive, and support and advice was available from the hospital's Patient Travel office.

"While we appreciate that for some patients this will mean travelling out of their immediate area, we still believe this is the best possible outcome for the majority of the community we serve.

More:
Patients with low vision must go to Bay for surgery to see - Bundaberg News Mail

This entry was posted on July 12, 2017 at 4:53 pm and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |