First Nations people in Australia are three times more likely to suffer blindness and vision impairment compared to non-Indigenous Australians, experiencing conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and trachoma at rates well above those of the broader community.
To tackle these challenges, Rural Health West recently collaborated with the WA Aboriginal Eye Health Advisory Group to host the inaugural WA Aboriginal Eye Health Forum.
Attendees came from across the state and from various sectors to focus on innovation, collaboration, and the coordination of eye health services to remote and First Nations communities across WA.
Forum presenter Dr Angus Turner, ophthalmologist and director of Lions Outback Vision (LOV) has been a driving force in increasing access to eye health services in rural and remote WA.
“The population in the remote parts of Western Australia have more blindness and more complications from eye disease,” he said.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations have more than three times the rates of blindness and 14 times the rates of vision loss from diabetes.
“However, up to 95 per cent of that vision impairment and blindness among Aboriginal people is preventable, so it is critical that we see and treat patients as early as possible.
“Optometrists are the key to linking patients to additional services and it’s about getting the right equipment out to the bush.
“We’ve been working in collaboration between ophthalmology and optometry to eliminate duplication of effort and to ensure patients can access an efficient health pathway that makes sense for their needs.”
Fundamental to this initiative is the LOV Van, which has been in action for eight years, servicing about 3,000 patients annually across 22 communities.
“Those 3,000 patients would have a long way to go to get their laser or specialist equipment had it not been for the van,” he said.
In 2020, the LOV Hub, a statewide telehealth and outreach surgery centre, was established in Broome to provide greater access to services, training new workforce and create opportunities to educate and train together within the region.
Leveraging off the success of the LOV Van and existing outreach services, the LOV Hub addresses eye care needs in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions through a hub and spoke service delivery model.
LOV Visiting Optometry Services Coordinator Helen Wright said the availability of eye health services in northern WA has significantly improved over the past two decades.
“In 2006, there were enormous gaps in optometry services, with one eye health service in Broome, one in Hedland and one in Karratha, leaving vast areas underserved,” she said.
“In 2016, the Vision Van was introduced, offering imaging, consultation, treatment and extending telehealth services. By 2020, the Broome Hub was established, with 1-2 weekly outreach surgical trips to the Pilbara and Kimberley from the base.
“Now, teams comprising ophthalmologists and optometrists visit 30 different remote locations, integrating records between the different eye health services.”
According to Ms Wright’s optometry statistics, the various initiatives put in place by LOV speak volumes.
“We’ve grown from seeing 1,300 people in 2010; to more than 2,700 in 2023, around 86 per cent of whom are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients,” she said.
Future plans for Lions Outback Vision include expanding the regional footprint, with the Goldfields identified as a priority location.
The WA Aboriginal Eye Health Advisory Group (Advisory Group) was re-established in 2020 to provide a platform that supports all key stakeholders to work collaboratively in the delivery of eye health services across Western Australia (WA).
The purpose of the Advisory Group is to facilitate a consistent approach to the planning, coordination and funding of sustainable, evidence-based eye health services to Western Australians, with a focus on improving eye health of Aboriginal communities.
The Advisory Group builds upon the University of Melbourne’s Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision, acknowledging that successful eye health outcomes involve the coordination of both eye care services and the patient journey on the eye health pathway.