A Specsavers team has attended Parliament House to perform hearing and eye screenings for members of parliament and their staffers during the National Diabetes Summit.
Specsavers said it was the first eye and ear combined screening in Australian Government.
Nick Taylor, director of professional services audiology at Specsavers, said people with diabetes were twice as likely to experience hearing loss.
“Specsavers optometrists have made a real impact for people with diabetes and as audiology professionals, we’re excited about how we can leverage that success and strengthen it further to ensure these people are also keeping on top of their hearing health,” he said.
“Everyone deserves the right to the best possible hearing and it makes sense that we would collaboratively stand on the shoulders of KeepSight to positively impact customers.”
KeepSight is a program is delivered by Diabetes Australia in partnership with founding partner Specsavers, supported by the Federal Government.
KeepSight provides people living with diabetes free reminders when they are due for a routine eye check. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults with early detection and treatment the most effective way to prevent vision loss.
More than 42% of Australians living with diabetes have been referred to the KeepSight program to protect their sight, a new report releases during the summit shows.
The second edition of the report “Unveiling the value of KeepSight”, authored by Deloitte Access Economics, shows more than 640,000 people have now registered with KeepSight.
The nation’s leading diabetes experts and advocates gathered at the event to highlight the growing scale and impact of diabetes.
Supported by the Parliamentary Friends Group for the Prevention of Diabetes co-chairs, Marion Scrymgour MP and Melissa McIntosh MP, the summit featured a keynote address from Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing.
Dr Mike Freelander MP, Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability, and Senator Anne Ruston, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing, also addressed attendees.
Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said: “We recognise the important role Specsavers has played in driving registrations from day one.
“Specsavers has committed to embedding diabetes eye checks into their service model and their optometrists have had a significant impact on growing the program.”
Specsavers register patients daily
At the summit, Specsavers senior stakeholder and professional communications manager Duchesne Markham said KeepSight continues to deliver measurable improvements in eye health behaviour.
“The collaboration between Specsavers and Diabetes Australia has driven strong outcomes across the sector,” Markham said.
“Specsavers has a large and united workforce of optometrists who believe in the program and register their patients to KeepSight every day. Nine out of every ten people with diabetes who sit in our testing chairs at Specsavers give consent and are registered with KeepSight.
“These results reflect an industry determined to ensure people with diabetes access the care they need.”
Read more
Review finds strong link between diabetes and hearing loss
Review suggests gestational diabetes associated with higher risk of HL in babies
Diabetes related hearing loss: A growing concern
