UPFRONT Just as Insight went to print, the COMMONWEALTH BANK (CBA) entered the healthcare payments and claims market – currently dominated by NAB’s HICAPS system – with the launch of CommBank Smart Health that can integrate with the optometry-focused Optomate practice management system. CBA’s foray into health payments follows the bank’s May 2021 acquisition of Whitecoat, Australia’s largest digital healthcare services directory that also included a digital payments solution capable of processing Medicare, private health insurance, and government scheme n
WEIRD
A New Zealand woman has taken her eye bank employer to the Employment Relations Authority, claiming constructive dismissal, after only learning the job entailed enucleation after she started. The employer said “retrieval, processing, storage, testing and evaluation of eye tissue” was mentioned in the job ad, but a judge said this could be interpreted as picking up, rather than surgical removal of an eye. n
manage this ocular condition,” IMI chair Prof Serge Resnikoff said. FINALLY, Australian engineers have invented a new surgical glove with low-cost sensors that can record hand movements in fine detail, giving trainees and mentors data to evaluate and improve on intricate procedures. The Western Sydney University research team are working with surgeons and students at Liverpool Hospital to develop the technology, which they anticipate will augment rather than replace traditional surgical training. “Teachers will be able to give precise feedback on minute details post-surgery, and students can analyse their performance," Dr Gough Lui, who led the work, said.
WACKY
A UK optometrist has sounded the alarm over a Tik Tok trend seeing people fill a bag with bleach, hand sanitiser, jelly and shaving cream before holding it up to their eyes in an attempt to make them appear brighter. If the bag splits, the optometrist warned people could experience corneal scarring, extreme pain and blindness.
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WONDERFUL
The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board recently held its first optometry appointments for homeless citizens in Cardiff, Wales, in what is set to become a monthly service. Having teamed up with local dispensers and optometrists and being supported by suppliers, the clinic is held in the city centre and includes new optometry equipment and a refurbished clinical assessment room. n
claims. IN OTHER NEWS, Hoya Vision Care and the International Myopia Institute (IMI) announced a new partnership. Their shared goal is to raise awareness about myopia and the importance of practising myopia management with an evidencebased approach. They also hope to advance research, collaborate on improving management standards and educate key stakeholders on prevention, treatment and management. “The eyecare profession plays a dominant role to educate the general public and make them aware of the impact of this progressive eye disease and the available management approaches. Early prevention and treatment are the keys to
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REGIONAL DIVIDE
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Sixteen per cent of ophthalmologists practise in regional locations, despite 29% of the Australian population being regionally based. Full report page 45.
WHAT’S ON
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INSIGHT May 2022 7
