Statement of Principles concerning accommodation disorder No. 296 of 1995 (Cth)

Instrument No.296 of 1995

Statement of Principles

concerning

ACCOMMODATION DISORDER

ICD CODES: 367.5, 367.89, 367.9

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
subsection 196B(2)

1.         Being of the view that there is sound medical-scientific evidence that indicates that accommodation disorder and death from accommodation disorder can be related to operational service rendered by veterans, peacekeeping service rendered by members of Peacekeeping Forces and hazardous service rendered by members of the Forces, the Repatriation Medical Authority determines, under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act1986 (the Act), that the factors that must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting accommodation disorder or death from accommodation disorder with the circumstances of that service, are:

(a)       suffering a lesion affecting the oculomotor nerve of the affected eye immediately before the clinical onset of accommodation disorder; or

(b)       inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for accommodation disorder.

2.         Subject to clause 3 (below) at least one of the factors set out in paragraphs 1(a) to 1(b) must be related to any service rendered by a person.

3.         The factor set out in paragraph 1(b) applies only where:

(a)       the person's accommodation disorder was suffered or contracted before a period, or part of a period, of service to which the factor is related; and

(b)       the relationship suggested between the accommodation disorder and the particular service of a person is a relationship set out in paragraph 8(1)(e), 9(1)(e), 70(5)(d) or 70(5A)(d) of the Act.

4.         For the purposes of this Statement of Principles:

“accommodation disorder” means the inability to adjust the lens of the eye to various distances, attracting ICD code 367.5, 367.89, or 367.9;

“ICD code” means a number assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in the Australian Version of The International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), effective date of 1 July 1995, copyrighted by the National Coding Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, and having ISBN 0 642 22235 5;

“lesion affecting the oculomotor nerve” means a pathological process affecting the brain stem or the oculomotor nerve anywhere along its course (including the oculomotor nucleus, fascicles, subarachnoid space, cavernous sinus or orbit) that leads to a disturbance in the oculomotor nerve function, or ciliary muscle function, causing impairment of accommodation, and which can be due to:

(a)        inflammation (eg, systemic lupus erythematosus or sarcoidosis);or

(b)       infection (eg, syphilis, meningitis, encephalitis, diphtheria, herpes zoster); or

(c)       neoplasm; or

(d)        head trauma; or

(e)       toxin (eg, botulism); or

(f)        metabolic (eg, diabetes mellitus); or

(g)        vascular lesion (eg, ischaemia or haemorrhage).

Dated this       Eighteenth        day of              July             1995

The Common Seal of the    )

Repatriation Medical Authority                   )

was affixed to this instrument   )

in the presence of:   )

KEN DONALD

CHAIRMAN