MDFA educates 100,000 Australians via quiz and launches new videos

It’s a year since Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) launched its short online quiz at www.CheckMyMacula.com.au, and more than 100,000 Australians now know their individual risk factors for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease. Thousands of users have downloaded important eye health information, and many have gone on to book an eye examination through Check My Macula’s ‘find an optometrist’ search function.

MDFA is celebrating the anniversary by releasing a video series about eye health, a suite of bite-sized videos designed to share important health advice in a simple, easy-to-understand way.

Each eye health video is one or two minutes in length, answering many of the most common questions that people ask about their eye health.

‘Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the macular disease community told us that they’re looking for short, sharp video content – and we listened,’ MDFA CEO Dee Hopkins says.

‘The Check My Macula quiz has introduced 100,000 Australians to their risk factors for macular disease and diabetic eye disease over the past 12 months. I hope the eye health video series can now educate even more people about how they can take care of their eyes.’

The series of 27 videos has been supported by NSW Health and Novartis, whose funding allows MDFA to deliver education and awareness programs, as well as support services to thousands of Australians living with macular disease.

The Eye Health video series aims to improve patients’ understanding of various macular conditions, possible treatments and preventions, lifestyle changes they can make to protect their sight, and tips to live well with vision loss.

Optometry Australia’s National Marketing & Engagement Manager Trinity Scarf said, ‘We welcome MDFA’s video series as a great tool to inform Australians about their eye health, and encourage them to make an appointment with their optometrist.

‘Our Good vision for life campaign mirrors those objectives so we thoroughly support this initiative and congratulate MDFA on achieving the 100k milestone,’ she said.

These are some of the questions that the Eye Health video series answers:

• How does the eye work?
• What foods are good for my eyes?
• What are the risk factors for AMD?
• How do eye injections work?
• I’ve been diagnosed with AMD, what do I need to tell my family?
• Can diabetes affect my eyes?
• How can I take care of my mental health with vision loss?
• What low vision aids could help me?