The 2016 National Eye Health Survey was the first representative nationwide study of the burden of eye disease in Australia. Involving almost 5,000 Australians completing a simplified eye examination and a standardised general questionnaire across 30 testing sites in Australia in urban, regional and remote areas, the it provided stakeholders with a chance to close a major gap in the evidence base and provided an up-to-date prevalence rates on blindness and low vision for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
When the National Eye Health Survey first got underway, population data on blindness and vision impairment was more than 20 years old. Led by Centre for Eye Research Australia and Vision 2020 Australia, the 2016 National Eye Health Survey closed this gap and provided the first true picture of vision impairment and blindness in Australia, establishing an evidence base to assist in the planning of Australia’s eye health and vision care programs.
The 2016 National Eye Health Survey was supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Chronic Disease Prevention and Service Improvement Fund, with other contributions coming from Brien Holden Vision Institute, Centre for Eye Research Australia, NACCHO, Novartis, Optometry Australia, OPSM, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Zeiss.