UD ‘Eye Van’ giving the gift of sight

The St John’s Ambulance Eye Van is back on the road, bringing vital medical treatment for blindness and vision impairment to Queensland’s remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities once more, after COVID-19 saw indigenous communities effectively closed to prevent virus transmission.

The mobile ophthalmology clinic, hauled and maintained by UD Trucks Australia, is said to be the first of its kind in the world, and so far has been used to treat over 5500 patients since its inception in 2013.

Formerly known as the IDEAS Van, a merger with St John’s Ambulance in January 2022 saw it renamed as the St John’s Ambulance Eye Van.

There is a high prevalence of vision loss or impairment in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with diabetes and glucose intolerance affecting roughly half of all adults.

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A third of these adults will experience vision loss, which is preventable or treatable in 94 per cent of cases when diagnosed in the early stages. However, some of these conditions require regular treatment, which is often difficult to access in remote parts of Queensland, especially for the elderly.

“UD Trucks’ mission is ‘to challenge for better life’, so the partnership with the Eye Van is an extremely fitting one for the brand,” says Lauren Pulitano, Vice President, UD Trucks Australia.

“UD Trucks is part of Volvo Group Australia, Australia’s largest heavy vehicle manufacturer, who have been partners with the Eye Van since its inception in 2013, providing a vehicle for their mission for the past 10 years. A UD Truck has been supplied for the Eye Clinic to utilise since 2019.

“The UD Quon GK 4x2 is one of the safest and most comfortable trucks in its class. UD actually stands for ‘ultimate dependability’, so the reliability of the Quon makes it the ideal truck to tackle the harsh terrain and reach patients in remote rural communities.”

Renowned Aboriginal artist, Venus Rabbit, knows just how much benefit the Eye Van can bring, after she was successfully treated for cataracts. “Now I can paint in colours,” she says.

The truck heads out to rural Queensland communities every eight to 12 weeks, with its team comprising Eye Van founder and St John’s Ambulance General Manager of Ophthalmology Programs, Lyndall De Marco; ophthalmologist and Clinical Advisor, Dr Rowan Porter; and driver Mark Morrissey.