What we do
Specialty Care Clinic
EHCWA’s Specialty Care Clinics currently offer five services for eye health conditions, including dry eyes, ocular pathology, myopia management, children’s vision, and specialty contact lenses. These services require a referral from a community optometrist, an ophthalmologist, or your general practitioner.
Dry Eye Service
EHCWA aims to be a state-wide referral centre for the diagnosis, and evidence-based management of dry eye disease.
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As well as receiving high-quality diagnosis and management, there is also an opportunity for patients to participate in the latest research on dry eyes.
Protocols are based on the TFOS DEWS II international consensus workshop. A visit to the dry eye clinic requires a referral, either from your eyecare practitioner or from within our clinic. The first visit will involve a dry eye evaluation with state-of-the-art equipment and will take approximately 1.5 hours. At the end of this visit, the most appropriate and individualised treatment option(s) will be discussed. This may involve further treatment in the clinic at a subsequent appointment.
As dry eye management requires access to state-of-the-art dry eye instrumentations not covered by Medicare, fees will apply. Further information is available on request.
Children's Vision Service
ECHWA offers comprehensive vision and eye health assessment for infants, young children and primary school-aged children.
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Our paediatric clinic provides age-appropriate vision assessments performed by experienced optometrists in a friendly and safe environment.
This service is open to the general public. You do not require a formal referral to attend our clinic, however if you have been given a written referral, a report will be transmitted back to the referring practitioners. If you have relevant reports from your child’s school or others involved in their care (e.g., paediatrician, speech pathologist, occupational therapist), we would welcome a copy of these forwarded via email to EHCWA reception in advance of your child’s scheduled appointment.
The time taken for your child’s assessment will vary depending on their age and the type and severity of their visual difficulties. Eye drops to dilate the pupils may be required, so if your child has sunglasses, please bring them with you to the appointment. As a general guideline, allow up to 1.5 hours for school-aged children, which includes the initial testing as well as discussions about treatment options and recommendations. Review appointments are usually shorter.
Specialty Contact Lens Service
This service is for patients requiring complex contact lens care for eye conditions such as keratoconus, and post-corneal grafts.
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You will be managed by highly experienced optometrists who have access to an extensive range of contact lenses specially designed to fit these complex cases and to provide the patients with the best possible vision.
The initial testing and discussion about their condition, treatment options and recommendations may take up to 1.5 hours. Review appointments are usually shorter.
Myopia Management
EHCWA offers a specialty service for patients who are short-sighted (myopic), or at risk of becoming myopic.
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The myopia management service will offer a variety of treatment options that have been shown through research studies to slow down the progression of myopia, including specialty glasses, contact lenses and eye drops.
The initial appointment may last up to 1.5 hours and includes a detailed history, a comprehensive assessment of the eyes’ ability to work together and focus, various eye length and power measurements and scans of the front and back of the eye. Review appointments are usually shorter.
The initial assessment is subject to a fee of $150, however a Medicare rebate may be applicable. As myopia management requires optical aids such as specialty contact lenses, which are not covered by Medicare, other fees may apply. Further information is available on request.
Ocular Pathology Service
The ECHWA Ocular Pathology Service is to examine and manage patients at risk of, or with existing eye conditions.
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Referrals are either from your eyecare practitioner, general practitioner or from within our clinic when certain findings at your initial examination warrant a second opinion or further investigation. There is no charge for referrals and reports will be transmitted back to the referring practitioners. An ophthalmologist may also be involved in the virtual review of your reports depending on your condition.
A typical appointment is about 1 to 1.5 hours. You will be examined by highly experienced clinicians using state-of-the-art equipment and imaging technologies. The student optometrists may be involved in observation, conducting preliminary tests and/or operating the instrument. Your pupils will be dilated unless advised otherwise, to allow great precision in examining the eye structures so that eye disease can be detected much earlier.
This consultation is at no out-of-pocket cost to you and a Medicare card is not required to attend the appointment.
Primary Care Clinic
Comprehensive consultations in the Primary Care Clinic are carried out by second or final-year Doctor of Optometry students under the close supervision of qualified and highly experienced clinicians.
Patient Information
Find out more about being a patient of EHCWA and visit our FAQs.
Referrer Information
Further information on the scope of practice and how to refer patients.