0:13

From Vision Australia. This is talking

0:15

vision. And

0:18

now here's your host, Sam

0:20

Colley.

0:23

Hello everyone. It's great to be here

0:25

with you. And for the next half

0:27

hour we talk matters of blindness

0:29

and low vision.

0:30

Yeah. So at the I think the start

0:33

of 2022, we had a selection

0:35

event for the Australian team for that year,

0:37

and I managed to make the team. And then

0:39

my next competition was a World Cup. So

0:41

I actually only competed in

0:43

two state level competitions. And then

0:45

this selection event before I went to an international

0:48

competition.

0:48

Welcome to the program. This

0:50

week we're featuring the first of a couple

0:53

of interviews with some para climbers

0:55

who are heading to the ifSc

0:58

Para Climbing World Cups later

1:00

this year. Her name is

1:02

Sarah Larkham, and she joins

1:04

me to chat all about her journey

1:07

to the Australian para climbing

1:09

team and encouraged people

1:11

out there to get involved in para

1:13

climbing themselves. And

1:15

then after my interview with Sarah

1:18

Stella, glorious, back on the program

1:20

with Megan Heard from Vision Australia

1:23

to chat to us all about the

1:25

ways in which Virgin Australia can

1:27

help older Australians who are blind

1:29

or have low vision to get the

1:31

home care packages they need.

1:34

And finally, on the program this

1:36

week, in celebration of World

1:38

Glaucoma Week, from the 10th

1:40

to the 16th of March, we

1:42

feature my chat with ophthalmologist

1:45

and glaucoma specialist Doctor

1:47

Nathan Kerr. I hope you enjoy

1:49

this week's episode of Talking Vision.

1:56

Sarah Larkham is a para climber

1:59

from Melbourne, also part of

2:01

the Australian para climbing

2:03

team. And to tell us a little bit

2:05

more about para climbing and the

2:07

events the Australian para climbing

2:09

team are involved with later

2:11

this year. It's my great pleasure to

2:13

welcome Sara now. Sara,

2:16

welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much

2:18

for your time.

2:19

Thanks so much for having me, Sam. I'm really excited

2:21

to talk to you about para climbing today.

2:23

Sarah, let's find out a little bit more

2:25

about para climbing. What is it?

2:28

Well, essentially it's just

2:30

the para version of

2:32

sport climbing. So there's a couple of different

2:34

terms that you might hear. It might be adaptive

2:37

climbing or para climbing. I

2:39

guess adaptive climbing just kind of refers to

2:42

climbing for people with disabilities as a whole.

2:44

And para climbing usually refers more

2:46

specifically to the competitive sport side

2:48

of it.

2:49

And are there any differences between

2:52

the regular climbing and para

2:54

climbing? A sort of adaptation

2:56

or any of that sort of thing?

2:58

Yeah, it really depends on what

3:01

the specific disability is. So

3:03

in terms of just climbing recreationally,

3:05

you know, I work with a group called Adaptive Climbing

3:07

Victoria and we host Come and Try Days

3:10

and we have a really broad range of different

3:12

types of equipment and setups and

3:14

supports that we can use for different types

3:16

of disabilities to get people on the wall.

3:19

And then in terms of climbing as a

3:21

sport, you know, there's kind of more specific

3:23

rules around what you're allowed to use to help

3:25

you depending on what your disability is.

3:27

And, Sarah, tell us a little bit about yourself

3:30

and how long you've been involved with

3:32

para climbing.

3:33

Yeah, so I started climbing just recreationally

3:36

in 2019. I actually

3:38

didn't know at the time that it was a sport.

3:41

I just thought it was something fun to

3:43

try after work, and I'd wanted to try

3:45

it for a little while, and I actually really wanted to try

3:47

outdoor climbing. But, you know, I started

3:50

in a gym like most people do. And

3:52

just to give you a bit of frame of reference. So

3:55

I'm a boloney amputee on

3:57

my right side, and within

3:59

about three months of starting

4:01

climbing indoors, I actually broke

4:03

my ankle. So on my

4:06

non-disabled side, which was

4:08

pretty rough. Oh yeah. But yeah,

4:10

I came back to it, you know, a few months

4:12

after, you know, literally sitting on the

4:15

couch doing nothing because I

4:17

wasn't very good on crutches with my

4:19

prosthetic leg. Um, but

4:21

when I came back to it, that's when I found adaptive

4:24

climbing Victoria. So I was like, looking

4:26

online, trying to figure out, like, okay, are

4:28

there other disabled people out there that are climbing?

4:30

Because I hadn't seen any, and

4:33

I wanted to try and maybe get some tips and advice

4:35

on how to get back into it and getting

4:37

better at climbing. And yeah, so I found

4:39

this group and I

4:41

attended one of their come and try days,

4:44

and I've literally just been climbing ever since.

4:46

And it was the person who founded that group that

4:48

actually told me that it was a sport and

4:50

invited me to compete in a state

4:53

level competition. And yeah, I decided

4:55

I would give that a go and I absolutely loved

4:57

it.

4:57

Oh, fantastic. So you've been

5:00

involved in para climbing for

5:02

five years now, starting in, um,

5:04

2019. But what was your first

5:06

competition and has it sort of

5:08

progressed from there?

5:10

Yeah, I've had a funny kind of journey because

5:12

I'm also based in Melbourne and,

5:14

you know, around the time when I was coming back to

5:16

climbing after my ankle injury, you

5:18

know, we were into Covid lockdowns pretty shortly

5:21

after that. So yeah, my

5:23

journey's been a little bit interrupted.

5:25

But yeah, so I had that first

5:27

state level competition that was the Victorian

5:30

para Climbing Championships. And

5:32

then I think a little bit after that is when we

5:34

went into lockdown. I think

5:36

in 2021, I managed in

5:38

one of the breaks between lockdowns, I managed

5:40

to get to Sydney and to compete in

5:43

the New South Wales para climbing titles for

5:45

that year. I think that was 2021.

5:47

Um, and it was kind of that year that

5:49

I was thinking more seriously about,

5:52

do I actually want to try and make something

5:54

out of this? You know, do I want to put more effort

5:56

in and see if I can, you know, maybe make the Australian

5:58

team and compete overseas? And I

6:00

decided that I would so in

6:03

between lockdowns, I was kind of getting

6:05

to the gym wherever I could. I was

6:07

climbing outdoors at the Burnley bouldering

6:09

wall, which is a little climbing wall that's

6:11

underneath the freeway bridge here in Melbourne.

6:14

And that was kind of the only place that we were allowed

6:16

to climb at that time. But

6:18

yeah, so at the I think the start

6:20

of 2022, we had a selection

6:23

event for the Australian team for that year,

6:25

and I managed to make the team and then

6:27

my next competition was a World Cup. So

6:29

I actually only competed in

6:31

two state level competitions. And then

6:33

this selection event before I went to an international

6:35

competition.

6:36

Oh my God, that's incredible.

6:38

Yeah yeah. Hectic.

6:40

Oh my god. Wow. No, that is really

6:42

cool. And you know you are involved

6:44

in the Australia team this year

6:46

as well as the heading off to

6:49

the ifSc Para Climbing

6:51

World Cups later

6:53

this year in just a couple of months time,

6:56

I believe. Now.

6:57

Yeah, our first competition in May.

6:59

So super excited for that. Oh wow.

7:01

That's that's incredible. And it's um, it's

7:03

World Cups plural. So that's also

7:05

quite interesting I found.

7:07

Yeah, I thought that was a bit funny when I first got

7:09

involved as well. So it's not just like the

7:11

World Cup. It's kind of what we call a World

7:13

Cup circuit. It's usually around

7:15

three per year.

7:16

So the first one starting in May.

7:19

And where will you be heading off to

7:21

for that one.

7:22

So that will be in Salt Lake City

7:24

in the US. So our first competition

7:26

every year is usually in Salt Lake City.

7:29

And then we're looking at

7:31

going to Innsbruck in Austria

7:33

in June and then

7:35

somewhere in France in July.

7:37

We haven't been actually told yet where that one will

7:39

be.

7:40

Oh, okay, that's a bit of a surprise.

7:42

But yeah, yeah, a bit of a mystery.

7:44

That's pretty cool. So you're heading off

7:46

there, but you'll also be joined by

7:48

others in the Australian para

7:50

climbing team, including Jason Water,

7:53

who quite a few of our listeners

7:55

will be familiar with. There's a couple

7:57

of climbers who are. Blind or have low vision

7:59

and Jason included. So I guess

8:01

tell us a little bit about them.

8:03

Yeah, I'm so excited that Jason

8:05

is joining the team this year. I first

8:08

met him when he came to one of the adaptive

8:10

climbing Victoria Come and try days, and

8:12

he really quickly found his place within our

8:14

community. Now he's got a coach who

8:16

is also learning how to site guide. So

8:18

that's the process of, you know,

8:20

somebody on the ground who's talking

8:23

the blind or low vision climber through

8:25

the movements on the wall. And then we have

8:27

Eddie on the team, who also is a low vision

8:29

climber. And yeah, I'm really stoked.

8:31

And I know Jason is pretty well connected in

8:33

terms of the sporting community, so I'm

8:35

really hoping that he can help us get more

8:37

blind and low vision climbers involved.

8:40

For sure. And you know, if people

8:42

are interested in following

8:44

along with the progress of

8:46

the Australian para climbing team

8:48

as they head off to the ifSc

8:50

World Cups, what's the best way

8:52

for people to keep tabs on

8:55

that?

8:56

Oh well, we launched an Instagram account

8:58

for the team. Oh, wow. So that's yeah,

9:00

that's at us para climbing team

9:02

on Instagram. Um, so yeah,

9:04

please do come and follow along with our journey.

9:07

We're going to be introducing all of the team members

9:09

and yeah, keeping you up to date with our preparations

9:12

and then our travels once we're off to the World Cup.

9:14

So I think it'll be really exciting.

9:16

Ah, sounds super exciting for sure.

9:18

So make sure to follow that one on

9:20

para climbing on Instagram. And now

9:22

more broadly, Sarah, if people

9:25

are listening to this and thinking, oh my God,

9:27

I'd love to get involved, I'd love to, you know,

9:29

find out a bit more about para climbing.

9:31

What's the best way for them to do that? Where

9:33

should they go?

9:34

A really good way to get involved in climbing

9:37

as a person with a disability is to

9:39

reach out to your. Hopefully

9:41

you have a local adaptive climbing group. So

9:44

in Australia we have adaptive climbing

9:46

Victoria for those that are in or around

9:48

Melbourne. In New South Wales you have

9:50

able climbing New South Wales

9:52

and then in Queensland you have para climbing

9:54

Queensland. Now, unfortunately, the other

9:57

states and territories don't have adaptive climbing

9:59

groups yet, but that does not mean that you

10:01

can't get involved. I would highly

10:03

recommend reaching out to either

10:05

your local climbing gym or the local

10:08

or state level climbing association,

10:10

so those are usually called something like

10:12

sport climbing Victoria or sport climbing

10:14

Western Australia and so on. So do reach

10:17

out to those. And yeah, ask

10:19

how you can get involved.

10:20

Oh wonderful. Thanks so much Sarah.

10:23

I've been speaking today with Sarah

10:25

Larkham, member of the

10:27

Australian para climbing team,

10:29

heading off to the ifSc

10:31

Para Climbing World Cups plural

10:34

later on this year. Sarah,

10:36

thanks so much for your time today. It was a pleasure

10:39

to catch up and hear all about para climbing.

10:41

Yeah, thanks so much for having me. Cheers.

10:50

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to

10:52

Talking Vision on Vision Australia

10:54

Radio, Associated Stations

10:57

of Reading Radio and the Community

10:59

Radio Network. I hope

11:01

you enjoyed that interview with Sarah

11:03

Larkham there. If you missed any

11:05

part of that interview with Sarah

11:08

or you'd love to listen to it again.

11:10

Talking vision is, of course, available

11:12

on the Vision Style Radio

11:15

website at RVA radio.org.

11:18

That's RVA radio all one

11:20

word.org. You can also

11:22

find the program on the podcast

11:25

app of your choice or through the

11:27

Vision Australia library. And

11:29

now it's my great pleasure to welcome

11:31

Stella Glory back to the program.

11:33

Catching up this week with Megan

11:36

Herd.

11:36

Now we all want to stay home

11:39

for longer, but what happens

11:41

if our independence is

11:43

compromised by age

11:46

along with our health concerns?

11:49

Well, to have a chat with me about

11:51

home care packages, I'm speaking

11:53

with Vision Australia's business

11:56

lead for home care packages, Megan

11:58

Hurd. Hi Megan, thanks for your time

12:00

today. Hi, Stella, thanks

12:03

for having me. So in

12:05

a nutshell, for people who are listening in

12:07

and may not be familiar with

12:09

home care packages,

12:11

what is a home

12:14

care package?

12:15

Great question to start. So a

12:17

home care package is coordinated and subsidised

12:20

care that's provided by the government

12:22

to support individuals who need assistance

12:24

to continue living independently

12:26

in their homes, rather than moving

12:28

into residential care. Home

12:30

care packages are a part of the aged care services

12:33

and are available to older Australians who require

12:35

assistance with daily activities and personal care.

12:38

So the one thing I did mentioned

12:40

people would be quite surprised

12:42

to know that Vision Australia is

12:44

a home care package provider,

12:46

and it hasn't been recent. We've

12:49

been in this space for almost

12:51

a decade now.

12:52

That is correct. We have. We've been providing

12:55

blind and low vision home care package services

12:57

supports to people over 65

13:00

for the better part of ten years now.

13:02

So who is a Vision

13:04

Australia home care package designed

13:07

for?

13:08

Yeah thanks Stella. So a Vision Australia

13:10

home care package is designed to

13:12

support the blind and low vision community

13:15

with their services at home.

13:18

Age related vision loss, things

13:20

like macular degeneration, people

13:22

who are blind or other vision

13:24

loss concerns, things like diabetic

13:27

retinopathy, things like stroke

13:29

and trauma are also where we can

13:31

support the blind and low vision community

13:33

with a home care package. It's

13:35

designed to support individuals that

13:37

are aged 65 years or older or

13:40

50 years and older. For Aboriginal and Torres

13:42

Strait Islanders who need assistance to

13:44

continue living independently in their own homes.

13:47

So let's imagine I'm 75

13:50

years old, but I'm still quite

13:52

independent. But it's come

13:54

a time where I need just a few

13:57

things, you know, a little bit of help

13:59

around the home. But I might

14:01

view home care package as being

14:04

for someone who's incapacitated,

14:07

perhaps.

14:09

Yeah. So it's really important to understand

14:11

that there's four levels of

14:13

home care package support. So you've got your

14:15

level one three to level four.

14:17

And your level one is for your basic care needs.

14:19

So Stella identifying at 75

14:21

that you need just a little bit of help. We

14:24

would probably assume that you would be aligned

14:26

to a level one home care package, which

14:28

is basic care needs, and it's designed

14:31

for individuals that just have that

14:33

need some support with some basic

14:35

duties at home, things like domestic

14:37

assistance or perhaps some transport

14:40

for social support. Um, and it provides

14:42

a small amount of funding that's going to support

14:44

assistance with simple daily

14:46

tasks.

14:47

And why would someone choose

14:50

Vision Australia as a home care package?

14:53

I love this question because the benefits

14:55

of having Vision Australia support

14:57

you with your home care package. Vision

15:00

Australia has specialized knowledge and

15:02

experience in providing services that are

15:04

tailored to the needs of individuals

15:06

with vision impairment. This could include

15:08

assistance with orientation and mobility,

15:11

assistive technology, occupational

15:13

therapy, recreation groups, our

15:15

check in and chat and quality living groups.

15:18

We have a deep understanding of the unique

15:20

challenges that are faced by individuals

15:22

with vision impairment. It allows us

15:24

to offer a more targeted and effective support

15:26

to our clients.

15:28

I did have the opportunity to

15:30

speak with one homecare

15:32

participant, who is

15:34

also a client, and a

15:36

pre-existing like an existing client

15:39

of Vision Australia, who said,

15:41

why would I go anywhere else

15:43

for my home care package?

15:46

That's great to hear. And I think

15:48

for a client to make a statement like

15:50

that, which we we do here quite

15:52

often, you know, we're able to

15:54

really support the blind and low vision community

15:57

to maintain their independence. And probably

15:59

the most prevalent thing that we do support

16:01

our clients with is the assistance of

16:03

allied health therapies. So orientation

16:06

and mobility, which will support

16:08

you to remain independent and

16:10

mobile throughout your vision loss,

16:13

um, but also equipment and aid.

16:15

So there can be things like large

16:18

button remotes for TVs

16:20

or even what we have, what we call our

16:22

CCTV equipment, which allows

16:25

people to read bills,

16:27

um, and, you know, magazines or things

16:29

like that, which, again, promotes independence

16:32

within the home. And our CCTV, um,

16:34

acts as a magnifier so that people

16:36

who have macular degeneration

16:38

or a version of vision loss that

16:40

allows them to use that piece of

16:43

equipment to keep them independent

16:45

and reading their bills and things like that.

16:47

And I think with that independence and

16:49

having something like being able to read

16:51

your own bills to continue to do

16:53

that, it's a double positive

16:55

because it leads to independence, which also

16:58

increases your confidence, which

17:00

in turn increases your

17:02

independence.

17:04

Absolutely. And I think it's something that we

17:06

focus a lot on with our clients,

17:08

is ensuring that that confidence

17:11

remains intact. And

17:13

we do that through various things. One of them

17:15

is obviously what we've just discussed, which

17:17

is the Vision Australia or blind and low vision

17:19

equipment and Aids. But we also have

17:21

other programs within Vision Australia, things

17:24

like our checking and chat program. We

17:26

also have our Vision Australia recreation

17:28

groups, and we also have our quality living groups,

17:30

which are there to support people through

17:33

the challenges of living with a vision

17:35

impairment to, you know, keep them independent

17:37

and remaining confident as they go through life.

17:40

And what areas is

17:42

our home care packages services

17:44

available in at the moment?

17:46

So we're currently servicing blind and

17:48

low vision clients in Victoria, um

17:51

and Sydney, South Wollongong and the Illawarra

17:53

regions.

17:54

And what are the steps for someone to

17:57

find out more information or

17:59

to access a Vision Australia

18:01

home care package?

18:03

Thanks, Stella. Great question. So you can

18:05

contact us via phone

18:07

one 308 40746.

18:11

You can also access the Vision Australia website

18:14

and select services for older adults,

18:17

where you can see all the information regarding our

18:19

Home Care Packages program. From here

18:21

you can download an informative brochure,

18:23

see our schedule of fees and submit

18:25

an enquiry. If you'd like a member of our Home Care

18:27

Packages team to make contact for a more

18:29

detailed discussion.

18:31

That's fantastic. And I have

18:33

been speaking with Megan Hurd,

18:35

who is Vision Australia's

18:37

business lead for home care

18:39

packages. Thanks for your time

18:41

today.

18:42

Thank you Stella.

18:47

I'm here today with doctor Nathan

18:50

Kerr, a Melbourne based off the modernist

18:52

who specialises in the treatment

18:55

of glaucoma. And what

18:57

better time to have a chat with Nathan than

18:59

around World Glaucoma Week?

19:01

Nathan, welcome to the show. Thanks so

19:03

much for your time today.

19:05

Thanks for having me, Sam.

19:06

Firstly, Nathan, let's get into the

19:08

importance of occasions like

19:10

World Glaucoma Week for raising

19:13

awareness for glaucoma. So what

19:15

does this sort of mean from an eye

19:17

specialists perspective?

19:19

Yeah. Thanks, Sam. That's a great question. Well, World

19:21

Glaucoma Week is an annual global event

19:23

that aims to raise awareness about glaucoma

19:26

and its impact on vision. This event

19:28

provides us an excellent opportunity to

19:30

educate people about the importance of

19:32

regular eye exams, early detection

19:34

and treatment of glaucoma, and

19:37

it also helps to promote the need for increased funding

19:39

for glaucoma research, which is critical

19:41

for developing new treatments and finding

19:43

a cure for this disease.

19:45

What's some advice that you can give

19:47

for prevention? And also,

19:49

I guess, a bit of a two barreled question

19:51

how often and when should people get

19:53

tested?

19:55

Yeah, that's a really important point. So there's

19:57

no known way to prevent glaucoma

19:59

entirely. But there are several things

20:02

that you can do to reduce your risk of

20:04

developing the disease, such as maintaining

20:06

a healthy lifestyle and weight, avoiding

20:09

smoking, and for people with diabetes,

20:12

controlling their blood sugars to

20:14

help reduce the risk of diabetes, eye

20:16

problems, which include glaucoma. And

20:18

it's absolutely critical that people

20:21

get tested regularly for

20:23

glaucoma, especially for those

20:25

people who are at high risk of the disease.

20:28

Glaucoma Australia recommends that people

20:30

get their first eye exam at the age of

20:32

35, and then every

20:34

1 to 2 years thereafter, depending

20:36

on their risk factors for developing the disease.

20:39

People with a family history of

20:41

glaucoma, people with high pressure

20:44

diabetes taking steroid medication,

20:46

or people of African descent should

20:49

get tested more frequently. And I think the

20:51

best place to get your initial eye exam

20:53

is with your local optometrist,

20:55

and they'll perform a number of tests on

20:57

your eye. They'll measure your eye pressure.

20:59

They'll look at the little drainage channels to

21:02

see if they're open or whether they're blocked.

21:04

They'll assess your optic nerve, which

21:06

is what transmits the pictures from

21:08

an eye to the brain. And they'll also do

21:10

a test of your peripheral vision.

21:12

It's critical that all of those tests

21:14

are done to help detect glaucoma,

21:17

not simply just to measure eye pressure,

21:19

because we know that 30 to 40%

21:21

of people with glaucoma have never had

21:23

high pressure. And all of these

21:25

tests are really easy. They're painless,

21:27

they're not uncomfortable. They can be done

21:30

in a matter of minutes, and then people

21:32

can go home. They might put some drops

21:34

in to dilate your pupils, which may mean

21:36

your vision may be mildly blurred for 1 to

21:38

2 hours afterwards. So it might be best to

21:40

get somebody to drive you to that test.

21:42

And in regards to treatment,

21:44

Nathan, unfortunately there's still,

21:47

as I understand, there's no known cure for

21:49

glaucoma, but what's the

21:51

current progress on different

21:53

treatment options and also

21:55

the best practice currently?

21:58

Yeah.

21:58

So we're now fortunate to have multiple

22:00

different treatment options available for

22:02

people with glaucoma. And the treatment does

22:04

depend on the severity of the disease

22:07

and the individual's specific situation.

22:09

But in general, the goal of treatment is

22:11

to help lower eye pressure, to help slow

22:14

or stop glaucoma from getting

22:16

worse. And we can do that through

22:18

using eye drops, laser therapy

22:20

or surgery. And the best

22:22

approach depends on really taking a

22:24

personalized encounter based on the patient's

22:27

specific situation, their age,

22:29

their overall health and their other medical

22:31

conditions. And it often involves a combination

22:34

of treatments to achieve the best possible outcomes.

22:37

These days, for people who are newly diagnosed

22:39

with glaucoma, we often do a painless

22:42

light or laser therapy called

22:44

selective laser trabecular plasti,

22:46

and this treatment takes a few minutes. Doesn't

22:48

hurt. It's performed in the office

22:50

and helps provide control of high pressure,

22:53

often without the need for daily

22:55

glaucoma eyedrops. And we now

22:57

also have newly developed small stents

22:59

or catheter procedures, which can help

23:01

open up the drainage channels. And

23:03

these are called minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.

23:06

And they're often performed at the time of

23:08

cataract surgery. But they can also be performed

23:10

by themselves. For people who are having problems

23:12

with eyedrops, such as pain,

23:14

discomfort where the eyedrops are not

23:16

working or they're forgetting to take their eyedrops.

23:18

So it's great that we now have multiple different treatment

23:21

options that can help control this disease

23:23

for people, often without the need for daily

23:25

glaucoma, eyedrops.

23:26

And what are some warning signs

23:29

for people to look out for if they're

23:31

perhaps thinking, oh, this

23:33

isn't looking good, or they know somebody

23:35

who's talking about certain symptoms

23:38

or certain experience that they're having.

23:40

What sort of things should people be on the lookout

23:42

for?

23:43

Yeah.

23:43

Good point. So in the early stages

23:46

of glaucoma. There are usually no warning

23:48

signs or symptoms. Even if you feel

23:50

your eyesight is perfect. You're having no

23:52

problems with your vision. You should still go and

23:54

get tested. But as the disease

23:56

progresses, people might notice peripheral vision

23:58

loss, tunnel vision, or even

24:00

complete vision loss. But often those are very

24:03

light signs. And that's why it's critical

24:05

to have eye exams regularly so you

24:07

can detect glaucoma at an early stage

24:09

before significant vision loss has occurred.

24:12

Now, Nathan, when should people

24:14

refer to low vision services

24:16

for support if, for example,

24:18

their vision does deteriorate and

24:21

they do need some support?

24:23

Mhm. So if an individual's

24:25

vision has deteriorated to the point where

24:27

it affects their daily life, they should

24:29

consider seeking support from low vision

24:31

services like Vision Australia. These

24:33

services help provide individuals to make the

24:35

most of their remaining vision and improve

24:37

their quality of life. Some signs

24:39

that may indicate that a person may need

24:41

low vision services include difficulty with

24:43

reading, recognizing faces,

24:46

or performing daily tasks such

24:48

as cooking or cleaning. But it's

24:50

important to note that seeking support from low

24:52

vision services doesn't mean that other

24:54

treatments are not going to work or

24:56

not suitable. So the low vision services really

24:59

work in combination with the medical treatments

25:01

to help preserve and, where possible,

25:03

improve people's vision.

25:05

Nathan, thank you very much. I've been

25:07

speaking today with Doctor Nathan

25:09

Kerr of the modest and glaucoma

25:11

specialist from Melbourne here

25:14

today to observe World Glaucoma

25:16

Week, happening from the 12th

25:18

to the 18th of March. Nathan,

25:21

thank you very much for your time today. It was a

25:23

pleasure having a chat with you.

25:24

Thank you for having me, Sam.

25:32

Now. Finally, this week we finish up

25:34

with a little bit of news and information

25:37

and the Vision Australia Easter

25:39

Egg Hunt is back for 2024

25:42

at Rosalind Park in Bendigo.

25:45

On Good Friday, March the

25:47

29th, 2024 from 9:40

25:49

a.m. to 5 p.m.,

25:52

join the exciting search for

25:54

85,000 Easter eggs in

25:56

Rosslyn Park on Good Friday. You

25:59

can come and say hello to Vision Australia

26:01

seeing our dogs, who will also be

26:03

part of the Easter action. Tickets

26:06

will be available for purchase prior to

26:08

the event by visiting the Bendigo

26:11

Visitor Centre website. Bendigo

26:13

region. Com.au.

26:16

That's Bendigo region all

26:18

one word. Com.au

26:21

or you can also call

26:23

them on 1800 813 153.

26:27

That's 1800 813 153.

26:31

Tickets can also be purchased

26:33

in person at the Bendigo Visitor

26:35

Centre itself at 51

26:37

to 67 Pall Mall, Bendigo.

26:40

That's 51 to 67

26:42

Pall Mall, Bendigo. For

26:44

more information about the Bendigo

26:46

Easter Egg Hunt, you can also head

26:49

to Bendigo Easter festival.org

26:52

a year. That's Bendigo

26:54

Easter festival.org.io

26:58

and that's all the time we have for

27:00

today. You've been listening to

27:02

Talking Vision. Talking

27:04

vision is a Vision Australia radio

27:06

production. Thanks to all involved

27:08

with putting the show together every

27:10

week. And remember we love

27:13

hearing from you. So please get in touch

27:15

anytime on our email at

27:17

Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org.

27:20

That's talking vision or one word

27:23

at Vision australia.org.

27:25

But until next week it's Sam Cowley

27:27

saying bye for now.

27:33

You can contact Virgin Australia by

27:35

phoning us anytime during business

27:37

hours on one 308

27:40

4746.

27:42

That's one 384

27:44

746 or

27:46

by visiting Vision australia.org.

27:49

That's Vision Australia call.