Exploring differential access to eye health services
Improving knowledge and understanding of eye health in AotearoaProject Summary
Jaymie Rogers is an optometrist, Professional Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at SOVS.
In her PhD, Jaymie is assessing access to eye care in several ways:
First, she is summarising previous evidence on differential access to eye health services in Aotearoa in a systematic scoping review.
Second, she is providing eye examinations to participants identified with vision impairment in our population-based survey and inviting them to participate in a 12 month project. This project will:
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- Describe the unmet need for eye health
- Follow participants’ access to referred services
- Assess the impact of correcting their refractive error.
Finally, Jaymie will explore alternative models of service delivery that may improve access to eye health services.
Participant recruitment
Jaymie is a co-investigator in the Population-based Eye Health Survey pilot study and the lead optometrist in the study’s pop-up eye clinic.
Together with optometrist and Professional Teaching fellow Veeran Morar, Jaymie supervises a team of BOptom students who are conducting eye examinations for survey participants.
Jaymie will be analysing data from the survey pilot within her PhD, and enrolling a cohort of participants for further follow-up.
Each day, Jaymie, Veeran and students set up the eye clinic at Te Whare Piringa community centre in Glen Innes. Watch the set-up video below, as well as photos from the pop-up clinic.
News | Publications
Vision impairment and differential access to eye health services in Aotearoa New Zealand: protocol for a scoping review
NZ Optics: Door-knock study uncovers unmet need
Auckland University researchers have conducted a pilot eye health survey and community eye exams in east-central Auckland, uncovering significant unmet need and serious eye disorders, including retinal tears and severe cataracts. Read the full story in the...
Judith, a survey participant, talks about her eye health, while visiting the pop-up eye clinic at Te Whare Piringa community centre in Glen Innes.
Watch Jaymie and team set up the eye clinic at Te Whare Piringa community centre in Glen Innes, above.
Pop-up clinic: spectacle scheme
Jaymie speaks with a survey participant who is picking up her new glasses
Pop-up clinic: eye examination
Jaymie examines a survey participant at the pop-up clinic
Pop-up clinic: refraction
As part of the survey, we offer a full eye examination to all people identified with distance or near vision impairment.
Pop-up clinic: picking up new glasses
A student optometrist with two survey participants, who are picking up their new glasses
Thanks to our supporters
The research team would like to acknowledge Peter and Rae Fehl, Blind Low Vision New Zealand and New Zealand Association of Optometrists for their support.
Participants in this project are benefiting from the SOVS Community Spectacle Scheme, which is supported by Helen Blake, Barbara Blake and Essilor.
Our team
Jaymie with her PhD supervisors
L to R: Joanna Black, Jaymie Rogers, Jacqui Ramke and Matire Harwood
Pop-up clinic team
Jaymie and Veeran with BOptom students