Latest news with #JulieWoods
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Attitude to eye health criticised
A multinational pharmaceutical company has stooped to "punching down" on New Zealand's disabled community while promoting its vision loss treatment, a Dunedin advocate says. Market research by the New Zealand arm of Roche, a Swiss multinational holding healthcare company, was released last week and said while most people understood the importance of vision, public awareness of specific eye conditions, symptoms and how to prevent vision loss remained low. "New Zealanders overwhelmingly value their vision above all other senses according to recent market research, with participants saying they'd be willing to lose 5.6 years of perfect health, rather than live a decade without sight," the company's media release began. In New Zealand, Roche distributes Vabysmo, a medicine approved by MedSafe to treat age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the country. Blind and low vision advocate and Dunedin resident Julie Woods, who is also known as "That Blind Woman", said it "distresses" her the company was comparing hypothetical trade-offs between life expectancy and vision loss. "That just shows how afraid people are of vision loss," she said. "You can live a perfectly good life without vision, but you can't without your health." She said preserving eye health was "obviously" a great cause. "But it doesn't give organisations the right to push their own product and put down [or punch] down a community of people." Ms Woods said Roche's approach spoke to a medical model of disability which was: "we can't fix you, therefore you're broken". "Whereas the social model of disability says that we are disabled by the barriers that society creates, and we're not broken and we're not less than." She said Roche's use of New Zealanders' fears of not seeing loved ones' faces or recognising facial expressions, body language and social cues was "bull...." and was emotive toward sighted people. A Roche spokesperson said the market research was based on a similar study conducted in the United Kingdom and the company sought guidance from professionals within the eye community, including a patient advocacy group. "Their advice advocated for raising awareness about the importance of eye health and regular eye examinations to prevent irreversible, yet preventable, vision loss," the spokesperson said. "The intent of the campaign was to raise awareness of the importance of eye health and preventable vision loss, encouraging individuals to get their eyes tested or seek help if they are experiencing symptoms." The spokesperson said Roche respected Ms Woods' opinion and acknowledged her advocacy for the blind and low vision community in New Zealand.
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
World travels shared in podcast
"That Blind Woman" Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin host The World in 360 Minutes on OAR FM. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Though Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin have seen the world through different eyes, they bring a shared vision to a new radio show and podcast series on OAR FM. The World in 360 Minutes is a 36-part exploration of the couple's globetrotting adventures. Each group of 10-minute episodes in the series is connected through a common theme, starting with "Around the World in 80 Minutes", which focuses on Ron's eight decades of international travel. By the age of 10, Ron had been around the world one and a-half times by ship, crossing the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. By age 80, the tally of countries Ron has visited is 80, many with Julie, who is blind, as his travel companion. Travelling by land, sea and air, Ron recorded his impressions of the sights he saw through watercolour paintings, some of which feature in the couple's recently published book Around the World in 80 Years. Julie's travel tales are informed by sound, smell, touch and taste. Her plan is to have brought her own tourist tally to 60 countries before her 60th birthday in January, 2026. The radio and podcast series features the pair in lively conversation about their experiences. The World in 360 Minutes airs on Saturdays at 10am on 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from and other major platforms. A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at By Jeff Harford, Community liaison, OAR FM
