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

The prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 5–9 in at-risk communities fell from 15% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2019 In 2017–18, long-term vision disorders affected 93% of people aged 65 and over About 411,000 Australians (1.7% of the population) had cataract and 244,000 (1.0%) had macular degeneration in 2017–18 Over 13 million Australians had one or more chronic (long-term) eye conditions in 2017–18 Around 44% of Indigenous Australians who had a diabetes test were screened for diabetic retinopathy in 2018–19 Females (59%) experienced a higher prevalence of long-term vision disorders than males (51%) in 2017–18 The cataract surgery rate for Indigenous Australians increased by 42% between 2008–10 and 2016–18 (age-standardised) 30% of Indigenous Australians had an eye health check in 2018–19 increasing from 11% in 2010-11 (age-standardised)

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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