Past and present MDNZ GMs Phillippa Pitcher and Sarah Berman with technician Sue Bull and Dr David Worsley, both from Hamilton Eye.

Teaming up with the largest agriculture event in the Southern Hemisphere, Macular Degeneration New Zealand (MDNZ) and other health advocates attracted more than 25,000 visitors at the Fieldays’ Health & Wellness Hub in Mystery Creek, Hamilton.

The Health & Wellness Hub was a huge success, said MDNZ general manager Sarah Berman. “Over the four days, we did close to 200 OCT scans; we explained the OCT images and discussed the importance of regular eye checks and identified a few people who we recommended to book an eye exam sooner rather than later. We also informed visitors that OCT screening is one part of the overall eye test and it led to conversations about the importance of regular eye tests.”

Attending Fieldays was an important opportunity for MDNZ to get its key messages about macular degeneration and eye health out to rural, elderly people, said Berman. “The success of MDNZ’s stand was made possible by key partners: Carl Zeiss NZ, who generously lent MDNZ an OCT machine for our stand, and Hamilton Eye Clinic, whose technicians and ophthalmologists generously gave their time to do the free eye checks for visitors to our stand. We are very grateful to have such wonderful supporters help get eye-health messages out to the public.”