Overview

Eye health conditions are very common in Australia, and may be present from birth, as a result of illness or injury, or developed over time due to ageing. Eye health conditions can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life and ability to perform everyday activities.

Latest findings

Indigenous Australians having a professional eye care exam increased from 13% in 2007–08 to 16% in 2017–18 In 2011, 78.6% of the eye health workforce worked in Major cities, where 70.2% of the Australian population lived The eye health workforce grew by nearly 25% from 2006 to 2011, while the Australian population grew by almost 29% The prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 5–9 in at-risk communities fell from 14% in 2009 to 3.8% in 2017 Median waiting time for cataract surgery was 141 days for Indigenous Australians and 89 days for non-Indigenous Optometrists and optical dispensers combined made up the majority of the eye health workforce (78.0%) in 2011 Around 42% of Indigenous Australians who had a diabetes test had also had an eye examination in 2017–18 In 2011, over 10,900 people were employed in the eye health workforce Nearly 54% of the Australian population reported having one or more long-term eye condition in 2011-12

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Highlights

Over 13 millionAustralians (55%) reported having at least one long-term vision disorder in 2017–18
957,933 Medicare claims for all surgical operations by an ophthalmologist in 2017–18
9.4 million Medicare claims for optometrist consultations for 7.2 million patients in 2017–18