Original article
Costs of Interventions for Visual Impairment

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2006.10.055Get rights and content

Purpose

To quantify the economic costs of vision loss in Australia and assess the impact of a costed intervention package to prevent avoidable vision loss.

Design

Existing Australian population-based data on prevalence and causes of visual impairment were used, and costs were calculated from published data for the five main causes of visual impairment.

Methods

The cost of vision loss in Australia was determined from the weighted prevalence of visual impairment; unpublished data on the indirect costs of vision; and national databases on health care costs and other economic data. A costed intervention package was developed and its economic impact modeled. Outcome measures were total costs and savings from the interventions.

Results

The intervention package would cost AU$188.8 million to implement in its first year but would bring a net return of AU$163.1 million in direct costs in the first year and an overall savings to the country of AU$911.1 million, a 4.8-fold return on investment.

Conclusions

Three-quarters of vision loss is avoidable, and many eye care interventions are cost effective. Even a developed economy cannot afford avoidable vision loss. Priority needs to be given to the prevention and treatment of avoidable vision loss.

Section snippets

Population-Based Data on Eye Disease

The prevalence of vision impairment in Australia has been previously reported.9 In 2004, a total of 480,000 Australians were estimated to have vision impairment (presenting visual acuity <6/12), including 50,000 who were blind (presenting visual acuity <6/60). Five conditions—age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and undercorrected refractive error—caused 90% of vision impairment and 78% of blindness. Among those older than 40, refractive error accounts for

Results

We have shown that the total cost of vision disorders in Australia in 2004 was estimated to be AU$9.85 billion.7 The total cost of the eye care intervention package we have developed for 2005 and 2006 was AU$188.8 million (Table 2).

The overall package would be highly effective in its first year, costing AU$5591 per quality-adjusted life-year, but would be cost saving thereafter (Table 3). When we include dollars saved from indirect costs in the first year, the initial expenditure of AU$188.8

Discussion

Blindness and vision loss have a huge and broad-ranging impact in our society. Although much vision loss occurs in developing countries, Australia and other developed economies also need to take vision loss seriously. Australia has good primary, secondary, and tertiary eye care services, as well as good data on the distribution and impact of eye disease. Australia also has comprehensive health economic data that permits economic modeling.

Epidemiologic data show the tripling of vision loss with

Hugh R. Taylor, AC, MD, has been a Professor and Head of Ophthalmology since 1990, at the University of Melbourne, and Managing Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia. Trained at Melbourne, he was at Johns Hopkins for 13 years. Dr Taylor has written extensively on epidemiologic and public health aspects of eye disease and is a leader in Vision 2020 and the International Council of Ophthalmology. Dr Taylor was made a Companion in the Order of Australia in 2001.

References (24)

  • H.R. Taylor et al.

    The economic impact and cost of visual impairment in Australia

    Br J Ophthalmol

    (2006)
  • K.D. Frick et al.

    The calculation and use of economic burden data

    Br J Ophthalmol

    (2006)
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