Undiagnosed eye conditions

Measure 2.6: The number of Indigenous Australians with vision impairment or blindness attributed to 1 of the 5 main causes who had not had their condition diagnosed, as a proportion of those with vision impairment or blindness attributed to 1 of the 5 main causes.

Many of those found to have vision loss have never been told by a doctor that they have a problem. This measure is an important tool to identify gaps in health service delivery.

  • In 2016, around 57% of Indigenous participants in the 2016 NEHS had vision impairment or blindness attributed to 1 of the 5 main causes, and had not previously had their condition diagnosed.
  • The rates varied by condition, with the highest rate being for undiagnosed cataract:
    • 64 of 116 (55%) Indigenous participants tested had undiagnosed refractive error
    • 27 of 39 (69%) Indigenous participants tested had undiagnosed cataract
    • 4 of 11 (36%) Indigenous participants tested had undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy.
  • Rates of undiagnosed eye diseases were higher for Indigenous participants than for non‑Indigenous for cataract and diabetic retinopathy, and lower for refractive error and age‑related macular degeneration.