A former surgeon says the medical profession is ready for a major change in its culture as more people with visual impairments move into more roles.
Key points:A new study found more than half of doctors say they have seen an ophthalmology patient with visual impairmentThis could include an eye surgeon, optometrist, optician or even a neurosurgeonDr Robert Smith, an ophthalmology specialist at Sydney’s James Cook University, said the survey showed people needed to be more active and less passive in their roles.
“We need to be open-minded about what we do, where we are in our career, and who we work with,” he said.
“What’s happening in the world of medicine, we’re not seeing as much change.”
Dr Smith said there had been a shift in attitudes in the medical field.
“People are looking at what they can do, they’re not necessarily looking at the risks and the risks of doing things,” he told the ABC.
“There are opportunities that we’re seeing now that we think are really interesting and they are really exciting.”
I think the future for us is very exciting.
“The survey of more than 500 doctors showed almost half had seen an eye surgery patient with a visual impairment in the past year.
Dr Smith and Dr Mark Hickey, the chair of the Australian College of Ophthalmology, also spoke about the importance of keeping up to date with medical advances and what they see as the best and most important treatments.”
It is about keeping up with the latest research and technology, which has the potential to reduce the amount of time we spend in the office,” Dr Smith said.
The new survey also found many people still believed in blind people’s right to choose whether or not to have an ocular surgery.
Topics:psychiatry,disorders-and-disorders,opinions-and–views,health,health-policy,australia