22 Jun, 2015
In a move to expand its research, education and clinical care services, Queensland Eye Institute has relocated to a strategically positioned new premises in South Brisbane. Situated at 140 Melbourne Street, the five level centre will strengthen the Institute’s capacity to attract competitive grant income, generate commercial revenue, and grow its existing suite of specialist eye services for patients.
Now in the final stages of completion, the new Institute will house a research laboratory specifically designed for separate biomaterial and biological studies plus teaching facilities that can accommodate 100 people, catering for a wide range of education and training activities.
Significantly, the new Queensland Eye Institute (QEI) structure will also include a state-of-the-art day hospital facility for eye surgery plus a specifically designed clinic that will cater for 5 to 6 doctors working simultaneously. The facility will feature an electro diagnostic unit and a functional clinical trials unit.
Established in 2005 by the Prevent Blindness Foundation, QEI is the only academic research institute in Queensland that is devoted to eye related health and disease.
According to QEI CEO Professor Mark Radford, “development of the new facility, thanks to the generosity the Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation and other corporate and community supporters, is a critical next step to enable Queensland Eye Institute to realise future growth and meet community demands on multiple levels.”
“Whilst looking to the future, our vision remains to provide excellence in research, education and clinical care to reduce the incidence of eye disease, improve eye health and prevent eye disease, and to ultimately eliminate preventable blindness in the community.”
The move is set to further QEI’s unique value proposition as one of the leading research institutes of its type in Australia. It combines research, education and clinical care into an integrated system where each positively impacts and influences the other, with all three areas making significant contributions within the general, research and medical communities.
The prevalence of visual impairment, blindness and eye disease in Australia is significant. Numbers are increasing, along with the economic costs to the community. Research into eye health and disease is particularly important in Australia, not just because of its ageing population, but also because of the greater likelihood of eye damage as a result of excessive exposure to the sun’s UV rays.
Currently more than 12,500 patients are treated by Queensland Eye Institute clinicians every year. Over 4000 medical students and 60 registrars have received advanced training through QEI.
The Institute’s clinical staff and senior research scientists are leaders in their sub specialties and fields, contributing to both the global knowledge pool as well as ensuring that services provided to the immediate community remain leading edge.
Importantly, Queensland Eye Institute’s new phase of growth will further enhance the quality of clinical care provided to patients and their families – with specialists continuing to treat patients for some of the most complex and serious eye conditions, many of which result in vision saving or even lifesaving treatment outcomes.
Queensland Eye Institute’s clinical services located on level 4 of the new premises opened in January.