Vision Centre

Eye specialist spies test rebate anomaly
Gold Coast Sun , 27 March 2002
By Valerie Jones

A GOLD Coast optometrist has criticised a situation that allows patients to receive private health fund rebates for massage and footwear, yet does not cover them for high tech laser detection of glaucoma, an eye disease that can lead to blindness. Kerrin Woods, who uses sophisticated Laser Scanning Topography (LST) glaucoma testing equipment at Southport's Vision Centre, said there were major anomalies in claimable items. "Some of my patients find it hard to believe they can claim for a massage yet they cannot claim any rebate for the laser scan." Mr Woods said the laser, the only one of its kind in Queensland, scans the retina to detect any abnormalities that might be the early warning signs of the onset of glaucoma.

He said LST enabled the condition to be detected much earlier than other tests for which patients did receive rebates. Mr Woods said an estimated two per cent of the population would develop glaucoma, a disease that damaged the eye nerves and ultimately caused irreversible loss of vision. He said he had purchased the $125,000 laser scanning machine four years ago. He said the catalyst for the purchase of the German-made machine was his own mother's diagnosis of advanced glaucoma. "She had no risk factors and had been examined and found to be free of the disease only a few months earlier," said Mr Woods. "Hers was sudden onset caused by steroid treatment for severe asthma and I saw then that standard recognised testing had not picked up the changes." Mr Woods said because there was no medical fund support for the laser scanning offered at the Vision Centre the cost had been pegged at $75.

"But I can understand this is still a financial impediment for some people," he said. Mr Woods said while the centre still undertook the other recognised tests such as field tests, pressure checks and visual examinations, the laser gave a three-dimensional image of the eye's optic nerve head that could be used as a benchmark for any future changes. "As the once healthy optic nerve cells progressively die off, the optic nerve head changes shape and it is important that these minute changes are detected as quickly as possible," he said. "That is where LST is invaluable." Mr Woods said he would make a submission to the Health Insurance Commission and to health funds to reconsider their position on the laser testing to ensure all patients had cost effective access to the best of medical care.