Bridging gaps in refugee eye care

Come August 2024, South Australian optometrist Christina Ly will travel to the USA and Canada with a mission that is close to her heart – to explore accessible and sustainable models of eye care delivery for refugees.

This opportunity comes as a result of receiving the Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship in late 2023. Churchill Fellowships are awarded by the Churchill Trust, providing Australians with the opportunity to travel overseas to investigate a topic they are passionate about and will benefit the Australian community.

For Christina, her drive stems from her family’s refugee background; a driving force motivating her to explore models of eye care delivery that can be adapted and applied in Australia to minimise avoidable vision impairment and improve eye health outcomes.

‘I’ve always been passionate about public health eye care and have been fortunate to work with many not-for-profit organisations over the years to deliver outreach eye care services and education across Australia,’ she said.

‘Newly arrived refugees often need to learn a new language, find work, go to school in addition to day-to-day tasks while navigating new environment and culture – all of which they need good vision for.

‘Most vision impairment in refugees is manageable with a pair of glasses, but unfortunately there are barriers to accessing eye care and many gaps in eye care delivery for refugees across Australia.’

During her travels, Christina will visit organisations that have developed innovative models of care delivery focusing on resource redistribution and sustainable, community-led approaches. She will also visit a research institute dedicated to researching and evaluating health care models for refugees. This institute is linked to a health clinic, which will allow her to observe the successful translation of research into practice.

‘My Fellowship aims to find new approaches to increase sustainable access to eye care services and ultimately improve eye health outcomes to better support refugees to settle into the community.

‘I am incredibly excited to be a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship, and for the opportunity to expand my knowledge of refugee eye care on a global scale,’ she said.