A vision loss economic impact report called “Clear focus” lauched at Parliament on Tuesday stated that preventable vision loss cost New Zealand $2.8 billion The report was commissioned to an Australian research group, Access Economics, they found that direct health costs alone as a result of vision loss added $198 million to New Zealand’s health system expenditure in the same year.
Researchers revealed that Māori are disproportionately affected by vision loss, with those aged 45-74 years twice more likely to experience blindness than non-Māori. And they cautioned that without a focused effort on preventing sight loss, the number of New Zealanders over 40 who have vision loss is projected to rise from 125,000 to 174,000 by 2020. Māori rates of vision loss is also related to the high rates of Type II diabetes amongst Māori.
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