This page provides links to a range of key resources and information to help our members readily access information to assist in monitoring and managing the situation and its potential impact on the eye health and vision care sector.
We will regularly update these links as needed and add new ones and/or extra content as this becomes available.
Upcoming webinar – 28 August – Myopia and COVID-19, IAPB
Health department information
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
SA
Department for Health and Wellbeing
Tas
Department of Health and Human Services
Vic
Department of Health and Human Services (for general public. for health services and daily updates)
WA
Other Australian Government resources
Communicable Disease Network of Australia – National guidelines for public health units
Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations
Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 update
Australian Government – Essential information
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Smartraveller (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
HealthDirect (social media assets)
HealthDirect COVID-19 Symptom Checker
Quick links to government support for businesses and households impacted by COVID-19
The following are quick links to the measures available to small and medium businesses, sole traders and households under the $189 billion economic support package recently announced by the Prime Minister:
Small or medium business with reduced cash flow?
Click here for more information about available support
Is your business financially distressed?
Click here for more information about available support
Employ an apprentice or trainee?
Click here for more information about available support
Business.gov.au support line: 13 28 46
More information on Coronavirus and the Government’s response can also be accessed via www.treasury.gov.au/coronavirus or www.australia.gov.au
Professional associations
RANZCO – COVID-19 triage guidelines
Optometry Australia – Triaging urgent and critical care
Optometry Australia: Good Vision for Life – find an optometrist
Australian College of Optometry (ACO)
Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
Mental health support and information
The major changes COVID-19 is having on so many areas of people’s lives and the uncertainty that surrounds many aspects of the pandemic, can be upsetting and unsettling.
This document provides a summary of some of the resources available to support individual Australians and their families whose emotional and/or mental health is being impacted by the current situation.
COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing support and information – Word
COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing support and information – PDF
Online training and resources
Indigenous Eye Health at the University of Melbourne – COVID-19 resources
APNA: COVID-19 Prevention Course – FREE
COVID-19 response update for Allied Health Practitioners – 2 April – Notes taken by Vision 2020 Australia team members form that webinar can be accessed here.
Charities, ACNC and COVID-19 webinar – ATO
COVID-19 infection control training for health, disability and aged care providers and their staff
Webinars for aged care providers
Webinar for primary and allied health providers – Notes taken by Vision 2020 Australia team members from that webinar can be accessed here, and the webinar transcript is now available.
DHHS and NDS COVID-19 Briefing for Disability Sector, 27 March 2020
ATO resources
International resources
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness has issued a statement in support of the World Health Organisation – you can read the statement here in PDF or Word format
Media releases and recent announcements
Health releases
World Health Assembly resolution on COVID-19
COVID-19: Potentially lifesaving immunoglobulin treatment
Elective surgery restrictions eased
Looking after people with existing health conditions during COVID-19
$1.5 million to support clinical management of COVID-19
Expansion of telehealth services
Spread telehealth to stop spread of coronavirus
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander releases
Support for remote Indigenous communities at high risk from COVID-19
World first rapid COVID-19 testing to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Securing the essentials for remote communities
$123 million boost to Indigenous response to COVID-19
Reducing the spread of COVID-19 to Indigenous Communities
Government backs remote communities with COVID-19 support
Disability releases
New guidelines for the rights of people with disability during COVID-19
Victoria and New South Wales NDIS participants now able to claim for personal protective equipment
Morrison Government continues rollout of the NDIS in face of coronavirus
Further initiatives to support NDIS participants and providers during coronavirus pandemic
Protecting the lives of Australians with disability during Coronavirus
Emergency Planning and Response Issues Paper – Disability Royal Commission
Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Disability Reform Council Communique
Supporting Australians most at risk in the wake of coronavirus
NDIS participants to receive priority home delivery from leading supermarkets
Immediate response plan to focus on people with disability during Coronavirus
Statement of Concern – The response to the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disability
New measures to support NDIS participants and providers through COVID-19
Community development programme
COAG Disability Reform Council – Communique
Seniors releases
Reinforcement of Australia’s aged care sector
Greater virus protection for aged care workers
Hearing to examine evolving impact of COVID-19 on aged care
Aged Care Royal Commission calls for submissions on impact of COVID-19 on aged care services
Free COVID-19 support line for Senior Australians
Working together to support Senior Australians in Aged Care
Support to keep people active and healthy as COVID-19 restrictions continue
Aged Care Royal Commission statement on COVID-19
Measures to support Senior Australians and those who care for them
Key publications and recent literature
The Medical Journal of Australia
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Sze Chuan Ong, Muhammad Azri Bin Razali, Lyana Shaffiee, Jun XingYap, Terrence Tay Yin Fei, Seng Chee Loon, Victor Koh, Do Slit-Lamp Shields and Face Masks Protect Ophthalmologists amidst COVID-19?, 21 June, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.06.031
Derek K Chu, MD, Prof Elie A Akl, MD, Stephanie Duda, MSc, Karla Solo, MSc, Sally Yaacoub, MPH, Prof Holger J Schünemann, MD, Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis, The Lancet, published June 1 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31142-9
Paula M Marinho, Allexya A A Marcos, André C Romano, Heloisa Nascimento, Rubens Belfort Jr, Retinal findings in patients with COVID-19, The Lancet, published: May 12, 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31014-X
Mark DP Willcox DSc , Karen Walsh BOptom , Jason J Nichols OD , Philip B Morgan PhD , Lyndon W Jones DSc, The ocular surface, coronaviruses and COVID‐19, Wiley Online Library, 13 May 2020
https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.13088
Sophia Mirza Saleem, Louis R. Pasquale, Paul A. Sidoti, James C. Tsai, Virtual Ophthalmology: Telemedicine in a Covid-19 Era, American Journal of Ophthalmology,
2020, ISSN 0002-9394, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2020.04.029.
Chunyan Qiao, Hui Zhang, Mingguang He, et al. Symptomatic COVID-19 in Eye Professionals in Wuhan, China,
Ophthalmology, 2020, April 18, ISSN 0161-6420,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.04.026.
Cheema M, Aghazadeh H, Nazarali S, Ting A, Hodges J, McFarlane A, Kanji JN, Zelyas N, Damji KF, Solarte C. Keratoconjunctivitis as the initial medical presentation of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A case report. Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2020 Apr 2.
Editorial: Zeri F, Naroo SA. Contact lens practice in the time of COVID-19. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. 2020 Mar 19.
Nagra M, Vianya-Estopa M, Wolffsohn JS. Could telehealth help eye care practitioners adapt contact lens services during the COVID-19 pandemic?. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. 2020 Apr 18.
Lyndon Jones, et al., The COVID-19 pandemic: Important considerations for contact lens practitioners, Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2020.03.012. Published April 6
Ivan Yu Jun Seah, Danielle E. Anderson, Adrian Eng Zheng Kang, Linfa Wang, Pooja Rao, Barnaby Edward Young, David Chien Lye, Rupesh Agrawal,
Assessing Viral Shedding and Infectivity of Tears in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients,
Ophthalmology, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.03.026. Published March 26
Wu P, Duan F, Luo C, et al. Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online March 31, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.1291. Published March 31
Jun ISY, Hui KKO, Songbo PZ. Perspectives on Coronavirus Disease 2019 Control Measures for Ophthalmology Clinics Based on a Singapore Center Experience. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online March 31, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.1288
Published March 31
Ivan Seah & Rupesh Agrawal (2020) Can the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Affect the Eyes? A Review of Coronaviruses and Ocular Implications in Humans and Animals, Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2020.1738501 (published 16 March)
Ocular manifestations and clinical characteristics of 534 cases of COVID-19 in China: A cross-sectional study, Liwen Chen, Chaohua Deng, Xuhui Chen, Xian Zhang, Bo Chen, Huimin Yu, Yuanjun Qin, Ke Xiao, Hong Zhang, Xufang Sun
medRxiv 2020.03.12.20034678; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.12.20034678
This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed. It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and should not be used to guide clinical practice.
Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1 , van Doremalen, Neeltje, Bushmaker, Trenton, Morris, Dylan H, Holbrook, Myndi G, Gamble, Amandine, Williamson, Brandi N, Tamin, Azaibi, Harcourt, Jennifer L, Thornburg, Natalie J, Gerber, Susan I, Lloyd-Smith, James O, de Wit, Emmie, Munster, Vincent J, New England Journal of Medicine 2020/03/17
Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): The importance of recognising possible early ocular manifestation and using protective eyewear, Ji-Peng Olivia Li, Dennis Shun Chiu Lam, Youxin Chen, Daniel Shu Wei Ting, British Journal of Ophthalmology 2020;104:297-298. (added on 23 March 2020)
All eyes on Coronavirus: What do we need to know as ophthalmologists, Khanna R, Honavar SG. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, 2020;68:549-53.
Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): The importance of recognising possible early ocular manifestation and using protective eyewear, Li J-PO, Lam DSC, Chen Y, et al. British Journal of Ophthalmology. Published Online 13 February 2020
Revisiting the dangers of the coronavirus in the ophthalmology practice, Seah, I., Su, X. & Lingam, G. Eye (2020)
Consensus of Chinese experts on protection of skin and mucous membrane barrier for healthcare workers fighting against coronavirus disease 2019, Yicen Yan, Hui Chen, Liuqing Chen, Bo Cheng, Ping Diao, Liyun Dong, Xinghua Gao, Heng Gu, Li He, Chao Ji, Hongzhong Jin, Wei Lai, Tiechi Lei, Li Li, Liuyi Li, Ruoyu Li, Dongxian Liu, … Dermatologic Therapy, First published: 13 March 2020
Stepping up infection control measures in ophthalmology during the novel coronavirus outbreak: an experience from Hong Kong. Lai, T.H.T., Tang, E.W.H., Chau, S.K.Y. et al. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol (2020).
Evaluation of coronavirus in tears and conjunctival secretions of patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection Jianhua Xia MM Jianping Tong MD Mengyun Liu MM Ye Shen MD Dongyu Guo MD. Journal of Medical Virology. Published:26 February 2020
Peng, Y. and Zhou, Y.‐H. (2020), Letter to the editor: Is novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) transmitted through conjunctiva?. J Med Virol. doi:10.1002/jmv.25753 (Published March 16)
Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and its inactivation with biocidal agents. Kampf G, Todt D, Pfaender S, Steinmann E. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2020 Feb 6.