Expert eyes local study

Description

THE Busselton Health Study has
proved to be amajor drawcard for
the Lions Eye Institute’s new
managing director to relocate to
WA.
Professor David Mackey visited
Busselton last week to to meet
with staff and participants of the
Busselton Healthy Ageing Study.
The international expert in the
genetics of eye and vision disorders
said the Busselton study
was a one of the reasons he decided
to relocate to the State and
take up an appointment with the
University of WA and The Lions
Eye Institute.
He said the study would help
the community better understand
genetic and environmental factors
that affect people’s vision and
health.
‘‘Although specialists can study
one part of the body and the diseases
related to it, many diseases
are interconnected and affect
many parts of the body, often in
unexpected ways,’’ he said.
‘‘This iswhystudies such as the
Busselton Healthy Ageing Study
that bring together many different
specialties are more powerful
than the sum of the individual
projects. Photos of the eyes can
show damage to blood vessels
from high blood pressure or from
diabetes and this can be related to
diseases such as stroke or heart
attacks.’’
The Lions Eye Institute has
provided equipment to photograph
the back of the eye in the
health study’s healthy ageing
project.
Busselton Health Study’s
senior scientist Michael Hunter
said the Lions Eye Institute had
also provided equipment to
measure the pressure in the eyes
which is a risk factor for glaucoma
and the focus of the eyes for
distance.
‘‘Eye and vision disorders are a
major cause of morbidity in ageing
populations. Almost half a
million Australians have significant
vision loss and this is expected
to double in the next 20
years as the population ages,’’ he
said.
Prof Mackey urged all Busselton
baby boomers who received
an invitation to the study to take
up the opportunity. The Busselton
Health Study clinic can be
contacted on 9754 0548.