ADVOCATING FOR AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN LIVING WITH VISION IMPAIRMENT
Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register
With
Dr Susan Silveira
Chief Investigator
Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register, NextSense &
Program Director
Master of Disability Studies (Macquarie University), NextSense
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | June 2025
The Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register (ACVIR), the first of its kind in Australia, captures uniquely Australian data which is used to improve services for children with vision impairment. The data is also available to researchers who work in the area of eye disease and disorders of vision.
Currently in Australia, we don’t know how many Australian children have vision impairment.
This makes it hard to plan for the services these children need, or to argue for research into preventing conditions which cause vision impairment.
NextSense Institute, in partnership with key Australian service providers, corporate donors, government departments and health professionals, has undertaken a major research project to develop and maintain an Australia-wide record of children with vision impairment.
This project is called the Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Dr Susan Silveira, Chief Investigator of the Register.
The Register collects accurate information on children who have been diagnosed by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) with vision impairment.. This information is used to establish the number of children with vision impairment, the causes and level of vision impairment and any additional disabilities and health conditions these children have.
The Parent or guardian of a child, aged 0-18 years, who has been diagnosed by an ophthalmologist with vision impairment, are invited to join the Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register.
The Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register (ACVIR) is sponsored by NextSense with support from Guide Dogs, Vision Australia, low vision service providers and families of children with vision loss.
Source: Written by AUDIENCED sourced from NextSense website
-
AHW Exhibitor: Gentec Australia
Gentec Australia, an Australian supplier of tapware and designer of wash basins to the healthcare industry exhibited at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week 2019. Their patented basin design reduces the risk of infection through splashing from water through an offset waste, as well as other infection control features. Know My Group reporter Anne Dao spoke with General Manager for Sales Graeme Bunt and State Manager (VIC) Vanessa Beever.
In an upcoming segment Australian Health Journal will cover the technologies deployed and steps taken by hospitals and clinics in infection control.
-
From University to Pharmacy Industry
The transition from full time academic study to industry can be both rewarding and challenging. Intern programs and an association for pharmacists, makes the transition easier.
The National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) represents students from 17 universities nationwide studying either an undergraduate or postgraduate program. The association advocates for Australian pharmacy students to ensure their future is prosperous and their status, rights and privileges are protected.
-
WA and QLD RSV Immunisation programs show drops in infant hospitalisations
RSV is the number one cause of hospitalisation of Australian children under five years of age, according to the Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA). There are mounting concerns that Australians at greatest risk of severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV will miss out on protection against the lung infection, with the Federal Government failing to commit to a national RSV immunisation program.
