Costs of Interventions for Visual Impairment

Abstract

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 Methods: The cost of vision loss in Australia was determined from the weighted prevalence of visual impairment; unpublished data on the indirect costs of vision; and national databases on health care costs and other economic data.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 a..