Macula Month 2022

2022 represents the 15-year anniversary of the arrival of eye injections in Australia.

Before sight-saving eye injections arrived in Australia in 2007, most people diagnosed with wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) went blind – sometimes quite rapidly.

Fifteen years later, Australia is a world leader in the treatment of wet AMD. Eye injections have saved the sight of thousands of Australians, who’ve been able to maintain their vision and continue to enjoy full, active lives long after diagnosis.

May is Macula Month

When: 1-31 May 2022

Where: Nationwide

This Macula Month we’re celebrating a huge win for the macular disease community. Both major parties have rejected a proposed Medicare rebate cut, which threatened to make this sight-saving treatment even more expensive.

In 2019, the independent Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce for Ophthalmology recommended a 69 per cent cut to the patient rebate for eye injections.

According to economic modelling commissioned by MDFA, a rebate cut would have forced an additional 47,000 Australians to give up eye injections simply because they will no longer be able to afford it. And if you give up eye injections, you risk going blind.

We welcome the news that both major parties have committed to rejecting the Taskforce’s recommendations.

We look forward to working with the next Federal Government – and State and Territory Governments – to address other barriers to accessing this vital, sight-saving treatment.

The voices of the macular disease community have been heard

Stories from members of our community were central to MDFA’s successful campaign against the proposed Medicare rebate cut.

Throughout Macula Month, we’ll be sharing the stories of passionate patients who’ve bravely spoken up about their journey with macular disease.

Raising awareness

The focus of Macula Month is always raising awareness of macular disease. The most common macular diseases are age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease, including diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema.

Our Check My Macula quiz remains a useful tool to raise awareness of AMD and diabetic eye disease in the ‘at risk’ community. We encourage you to share the quiz with your family and friends.

Find out more

Join one of our free webinars. And keep and eye on our social media channels throughout the month of May as our Macula Month campaign rolls out nationally.

You’ll find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

For health professionals

We encourage health professionals to get involved in the Macula Month campaign. We have a digital toolkit to help you spread the Macula Month messages to your patients. 

Free resources

We have a range of free resources – for members of our community and for health professionals. All MDFA information publications are free.

Support and advice

We’re here to help you navigate your journey with macular disease. Our National Helpline offers free information, advice and support to people living with or at risk of macular disease, their families and carers.