Indigenous eye health measures 2018

Measure 2.3: The number of Indigenous Australians who had an eye examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist in the last 12 months, as a proportion of the population.

Eye care professionals play an important role in screening for eye and vision problems by conducting basic eye examinations.

• In 2017–18, there were around 95,600 Indigenous Australians who had had an eye examination undertaken by an optometrist or ophthalmologist in the preceding 12 months—12% of the population. This was less than the estimated number of eye examinations needed for Indigenous Australians each year (135,682).
• The proportion of both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population that had had an eye examination in the preceding 12 months increased with age from the 45–54 year age group onward, for both males and females. The proportion was highest for those aged 65 and over, and second highest for those aged 0–14.
• Between 2007–08 and 2017–18, the proportion of the Indigenous population that had had an eye examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist increased across all age groups.
• Eye examination proportions for Indigenous Australians were lowest in the Northern Territory (8.1%) followed by the Western Australia (8.8%) and were highest in Victoria/Tasmania (15%).