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

Optometrists and optical dispensers combined made up the majority of the eye health workforce (78.0%) in 2011 Nearly 54% of the Australian population reported having one or more long-term eye condition in 2011-12 The cataract surgery rate for Indigenous Australians increased by 42% between 2008–10 and 2016–18 (age-standardised) Around 44% of Indigenous Australians who had a diabetes test were screened for diabetic retinopathy in 2018–19 In 2011, 78.6% of the eye health workforce worked in Major cities, where 70.2% of the Australian population lived In 2011, over 10,900 people were employed in the eye health workforce The prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 5–9 in at-risk communities fell from 15% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2019 30% of Indigenous Australians had an eye health check in 2018–19 increasing from 11% in 2010-11 (age-standardised) The eye health workforce grew by nearly 25% from 2006 to 2011, while the Australian population grew by almost 29%

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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