Geelong ophthalmologist wait times blow out

Some Geelong patients face waits of more than a year for an appointment with an eye specialist. Here’s why.

Barwon Health’s Simon Williams.

Some Geelong patients face waits of more than a year to see an eye specialist through the public system.

Barwon Health clinical director of surgical services Simon Williams said ophthalmology patients who required urgent assessment were seen within three to four weeks, while those considered non-urgent generally had an average wait time of about 15 months.

It’s understood restrictions from earlier in the pandemic led to an increase in the waiting list.

“We are expanding our ophthalmology clinic in 2023, which will allow us to see additional patients,” Mr Williams said.

“This will assist in improving waiting times for our consumers.”

Ophthalmologists are specialists who handle eye care including treatment and surgery.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists vice president Professor Peter McCluskey said wait times had “certainly” been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“For cataracts, a patient exam is required to determine that cataract is the cause of their visual symptoms and that cataract surgery is the indicated treatment; this also allows the ophthalmologist to determine the urgency of surgery,” he said.

“None of this examination can be done via telehealth.

“(We) have seen wait times in public hospitals increase nationwide.

“The private system is also facing longer wait times for similar reasons, but not at the same severity as the public system.”

Australian Patients Association chief executive Stephen Mason said ophthalmologist wait times seemed to depend on where people lived.

“Increasing waiting times are always a problem, particularly with deteriorating eye sight,” he said.

He said if preventive treatment was not taken promptly then eye sight could continue to deteriorate with “potentially devastating consequences”.

Last year, Mr Williams said Barwon Health recognised there was an unacceptably long wait for some patients from the time of a GP referral to a first appointment with a doctor at many of its specialty clinics.

It’s understood for patients seeking a non-urgent appointment with one of the ophthalmologists who consult in rooms at St John of God Geelong Hospital the current wait time is about six weeks.

It’s understood for those patients with private health insurance or who elect to self-fund an operation they can usually have the procedure two weeks later.

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Originally published as Geelong ophthalmologist wait times blow out