EYE ON THE PRIZE

WORKING WITH KIDS’ EYES, MADDY SPOTTED A HUGE GAP IN THE MARKET THAT WAS AFFECTING HER PATIENTS’ HEALTH

- Emma Levett

When Maddy Scavone was just 8, she was diagnosed as shortsighted (myopic) and received her first pair of glasses.

“For the first time in my life, people’s faces weren't blurry,” the 35-year-old from the Gold Coast tells WHO. “Before that, I'd always had to recognise people based on how they walked, so it was a memorable moment. It made me fascinated by eyes.”

Maddy went on to become a paediatric orthoptist, treating children with a range of eye conditions, including a common problem called amblyopia, or lazy eye.

“This happens when there's a difference in the power of one eye, and more than one in 50 kids develop it,” Maddy explains.

“Eventually, the brain stops using the weaker eye, leaving the child legally blind in one eye. If it isn’t diagnosed early, it becomes harder to treat.”