Resources and support

We bring together the supports, funding programmes and useful links relevant to families of children with cataracts.  If you know about a resource not listed here please let us know. 

Funding schemes

• Medicare provides free care to public patients in public hospitals by ophthalmologists and orthoptists.  The cost of glasses and/or contact lenses is also subsidised. If you see these health professionals as a private patient there will be out of pocket costs for the appointments and you will need to cover the full cost of the glasses/contact lenses.
• Centrelink: payments for carers
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)​
• Steve Waugh Foundation grants
• Better Start Funding (no longer available in some locations) provides up to $12,000 in early intervention services to sight impaired children under 6 years of age (vision of less than or equal to 6/18 or equivalent field loss, in the better eye with correction)

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Support for travel

If you have to travel to attend appointments you may be eligible for state-based schemes that reimburse travel and accommodation.

• ACT Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme
• NSW Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
• NT Patient Assistance Travel Scheme
• QLD Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme
• SA Patient Assistance Transport Scheme
• Tasmania Patient Travel Assistance Scheme
• Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme
• WA Patient Assisted Travel Scheme​

Services and equipment

Resources and support differ between states.  Please contact the organisation directly to find out about services in your location. 

• Vision Australia provides blindness and low vision services in some Australian states - to find out if they work in your location click here.
• Essilor Vision Foundation provides free spectacles to aphakic children in many parts of Australia.  Order these via your hospital clinic or optical provider. (SA families may be eligible to access glasses or lenses through GlassesSA - ask your healthcare provider)
• Lions Eye Institute - a WA-based eye care provider and research centre
• Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children offers assessment, advice and early intervention programmes in NSW and some other locations. 
• EVAC (The Educational Vision Assessment Clinic)  is a great resource in Victoria for school age children with visual impairment.
• Guide Dogs Australia has links to Guide Dog organisations in each state; these offer a range of services including mobility and orientation support and training for vision impaired children and adolescents. 
• Goggleman - prescription goggles and glasses for swimming and sport. 
  
• Cancer Council - a wide range of sunglasses for babies and children.
  
• Patches available in Australia and online. 

State-specific resources

• A list of resources specific to children in South Australia is available here

Private health cover

• Private extras insurance cover may help with the cost of spectacles and/or contact lenses.  It pays to shop around for good optical coverage.  
• Private hospital insurance cover may help with costs if you choose to have your child's surgery done in a private hospital with your choice of doctor.  

See www.privatehealth.gov.au/

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Related organisations

• Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association (North America)
• Childhood Cataract Network (UK)

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Events

See our Events page