Assessing extent of keratoconus in Gisborne

Dr Graham Wilson and Rachel Cook

As well as getting a better idea of the burden of disease within the Gisborne community, Cook said the team also wants to raise community awareness about keratoconus and the availability of sight-saving treatment, which may not have been available to older generations.

After the pilot ends in December they hope their results will attract additional resources to enable early detection and treatment of keratoconus and demonstrate how a long-term screening programme could be initiated and sustained, she said.

“As a nurse, I talk with whānau and hear the heartbreak of parents who thought, along with the teacher, that their child was just ‘mucking around’ and being naughty, not realising that they had suffered significant vision loss in a short period of time. There are so many stories that pull at your heartstrings!”

She said the team will be approaching schools and their boards in the next month or so, since their approval for the screening is required.