For the past 30 years, Dr Glasson has been involved with the provision of indigenous eye health services across Australia.

On returning from his fellowship training in London he became a board member of the then trachoma and eye health service, which had evolved of a coincidence of the Prof Fred Hollows. They were charged with the responsibility to be ensure rural and remote indigenous committees received appropriate ophthalmology and optometry services. Dr Glasson personally was involved in many of the committee eye services which took him  places from the Gulf in the north to the NSW boarder regions and across to the far west of QLD to include the towns of Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia.

During those times there was still a high prevalence of diseases such as trachoma, cataract and trauma related issues in the eye. The prevalence of diabetes was not as common during those periods, but over the past 30 years sadly blindness from diabetic retinopathy has become a much more common feature. Trachoma has largely been removed from most of the communities and exists only in the small pockets across Australia.

Cataracts still remain a major concern for our rural and remote indigenous Australians, with the demand for cataract surgery rising faster than our ability to meet the demand. Therefore, they are looking at new models whereby they can deliver these services in a more efficient way to ensure where possible, the services are taken to the people and not the people to the services. There is no shortage of ophthalmologist in Australia willing to give their time to support both indigenous and non-indigenous patients in rural and remote Australia.

In more recent times Dr Glasson became a board member of IUIH (Institute for Urban and Indigenous Health) based in South East Queensland. This organisation with its CEO – Adrian Carson – is doing a fantastic work around improving the health outcomes of our indigenous Australians in this area with the knowledge that the largest percentage of indigenous Australians now live in the major metropolitan centres. The focus of the organisation is on delivering high quality medical services as well as eye services to indigenous patients living in south east Queensland.

Dr Glasson remains a proud member of this board with the knowledge of the difference that the organisation makes to the lives of our indigenous Australians.

Next week he is travelling to the community of Woorabinda, some 2 hours’ drive west of Rockhampton to deliver ophthalmology services to the community. Issues around obesity and diabetes and associated diabetic retinopathy is a major issue in this community along with cataracts and ocular infections. Patients requiring surgery will be brought to the Rockhampton Base Hospital after which they will be followed up back in their community with their visiting optometrist.