Australian College of Optometry (ACO) renames public health optometry services as 'ACO Eye Health'
The public health optometry provider has rebranded its patient services to ‘ACO Eye Health’ as part of its ongoing efforts to modernise.The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) has unveiled ‘ACO Eye Health’ as the new brand representing its optometry services. The Victorian public health eye care provider has made the change as part of ongoing efforts to clarify its role as a community eye care service and become a more patient-centric organisation.
The exciting new chapter comes eighty-five years after the ACO first launched as a training college. Today, the not-for-profit organisation attributes 90 per cent of its work to delivering publicly funded optometry care to vulnerable communities across Victoria.
“Carving out an identity that better reflects our role as a public health eye care provider is an important step in ensuring our services are more visible and accessible to those who need them and helping us form deeper connections within the communities we serve,” explained Kylie Harris, ACO Director of Operations.
As part of the development process, staff and patients contributed through surveys and idea submissions. In the coming weeks, ACO will launch a new website designed to better support patients and referrers seeking eye care services.
“Although the name above our clinics and our outreach programs has changed, our mission is the same: to impact eye health outcomes at a local, national and international level through clinical care, education and research,” said Pete Haydon, ACO CEO.
“We are really excited about this next chapter for the Australian College of Optometry. Across our organisation, we are evolving to better support our mission and reach the communities that need us. This has meant adjusting our structure, improving our systems and refocusing our research. ACO Eye Health is an important part of this journey as there is a need to clarify our position as Victorian’s public health eye care provider.”
The need for public eye care
Together with the Victorian State Government, ACO Eye Health has delivered the Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) for forty years, providing subsidised care and low-cost visual aids to Victorians facing significant barriers to care. Through this scheme, more than two million services have been provided to vulnerable people through ACO Eye Health clinics and partnering practitioners in regional Victoria.
Kylie Harris, ACO Director of Operations, affirms that public health optometry care holds a special role within the eye care space.
“Our first priority will always be our patients; they are at the heart of everything we do. After Covid, we made the decision to extend our appointments from forty to fifty minutes to ensure comprehensive patient history and testing. We offer a full suite of imaging and diagnostic tests so any patient requiring further testing can be managed appropriately during their appointment at no additional cost. At the end of 2023, we also made the call to extend bulk billing to all Medical eligible patients under the age of 18 to better assist families.”
“We strive to improve equity and accessibility. We are constantly trying to support those hard-to-reach patients facing barriers to care, whether there are financial, language, disability, complex eye conditions or comorbidities.”
In addition to ACO Eye Health clinics located in Carlton, Braybrook, Dandenong, Darebin (previously East Reservoir), Hume (previously Broadmeadows), Knox, and Wyndham, the Outreach Team attends over 300 sites each year to deliver comprehensive eye care to vulnerable people facing extreme barriers to care. This including dedicated services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, remote rural communities and First Nations communities.
“Delivering outreach eye care involves a different set of skills than those we use in fixed clinic settings. It can be challenging, but it’s incredibly rewarding work. Crucially, this care wouldn’t be possible without our community partners who open the door for us and help us reach patients in need of eye care,” Dr Josephine Li, General Manager Outreach Programs and Rural VES.
New name, same experienced optometrists
ACO Eye Health maintains its Melbourne clinic network including its main location in Carlton. Here, advanced services are led by experienced optometrists with a special interest in specific eye conditions including myopia, glaucoma, complex contact lenses, dry eye disease, low vision and children’s vision. The clinic also provides a dedicated disability service to support those in our community who may struggle to access care elsewhere.
“Our advanced services are a vital part of the work we do. Often, they help to bridge the gap between ophthalmology and mainstream optometry care, allowing patients to receive appropriate care in a community setting and supporting our colleagues to manage long wait lists. As demand continues to grow for accessible public eye care, we are expanding these advanced services to our outer Melbourne locations, for instance advanced myopia care is also available at ACO Eye Health Knox,” said Harris.
Other services under Australian College of Optometry
Outside of patient services, the Australian College of Optometry’s education (CPD), membership and research work will remain under the original ACO brand and the organisation’s legal name will remain the Australian College of Optometry.
“The ACO has been at the heart of eye care in Victoria for decades. We’re not saying goodbye to our unique history but moving forward with the aim to better serve the communities who need our care,” Pete Haydon, ACO CEO.
