Summary
The web report includes data on:
- prevalence and causes of vision loss and blindness
- detection and screening services
- treatment services
- workforce and outreach programs.
It presents data for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, trends, by age and sex, and by state/territory, remoteness area and Primary Health Network.
Prevalence
- 1 in 9 Indigenous Australians aged over 40 (11%) suffer from vision impairment or blindness.
- Older Indigenous Australians are 3x as likely to suffer from vision impairment or blindness as older non-Indigenous Australians.
More Prevalence data.
Diagnosis & screening services
- The % of Indigenous Australians who had an eye examination in the preceding 12 months increased from 13% in 2005–06 to 15% in 2016–17.
- An estimated one third of Indigenous people with diabetes had not had an eye examination in the preceding 12 months.
More Diagnosis & screening services data.
Treatment services
- The Indigenous hospitalisation rate for cataract surgery rose by 36% in the last 10 years.
- Median waiting times for cataract surgery were longer for Indigenous Australians (152 days) than non-Indigenous Australians (93 days).
More Treatment services data.
Workforce & outreach programs
- Numbers and rates of employed optometrists were highest in Major cities and were very low in Remote and Very remote areas.
- The number and occasions of service provided to Indigenous patients under the Visiting Optometrists Scheme more than tripled between 2009–10 and 2016–17.
More Workforce & outreach programs data.