Indigenous Eye Health

Question

Departmental data shows that around 90 per cent of vision loss is preventable or treatable, yet First Nations children are still being screened, identified and then left without glasses or follow up checks. ? What action is the Department taking to close the gap on children's eye health? In particular: ? Is the Department developing a national plan to replace Strong Eyes, Strong Communities? If so, what is the timeframe for delivery of a new plan? ? What steps is the Department taking to support long-term sector planning? Who is being consulted on plans? ? What funding is available to ensure detection of vision loss in children is followed up with corrective action (including prescription and provision of glasses, follow up appointments, education on maintaining eye health)? ? Has the Department assessed what it would cost to eliminate uncorrected refractive error among First Nations children? ? Has the Department assessed the long-term economic cost of failing to close the gap on eye health, including lower participation rates in education and employment and management of chronic diseases? ? Eligibility and access to spectacle subsidy schemes vary between States and territories. Is the Commonwealth working on a national baseline to ensure equitable access to glasses for First Nations children? If not, why?

Answer

Please see attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• DHDA SQ26-002803.pdf (opens in a new tab)