The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) latest report has revealed the majority of the population live with a long-term eye condition.
The biennial report, Australia’s health 2024, includes a collation of the latest available data on the changes of eye health measures among Australians and their use of eye health services.
In 2022, an estimated 14.4 million Australians – over half the population, 56.7% – were living with a long-term eye condition. The most common eye conditions include:
• long-sightedness – an estimated 7.7 million people
• short-sightedness – an estimated 7.2 million people
• astigmatism – an estimated 1.9 million people.
Moreover, in 2022, chronic eye conditions affected 91.5% of people aged 75 and over, compared with 13.9% among people aged up to 14 years.
Chronic eye conditions vary in their presentation, treatment and consequences, but almost all are more common in older people.
In 2018–19, 67% of First Nations people self-reported having at least one long-term health condition with 36% reporting three or more conditions.
Among those, an estimated 38% First Nations people – 307,000 people – reported eye or sight problems.
The report also shed light on Australians’ use of eyecare services. Ophthalmology ranked fifth in the subspecialties with the highest number of consultations subsidised by Medicare from 2022-23 with an estimated 2.2 million services.
8.6 million Australians had a Medicare-subsidised referred specialist attendance in 2022–23 – an average of four specialist attendances per patient.
There was an average of 133 Medicare-subsidised referred medical specialist attendances per 100 people – an increase from 121 in 2012–13. Ten per cent of attendances were provided by telephone and videoconferencing which was 21 times the service volume prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–19).
“The last time we released an Australia’s health report, it was mid-2022 and Australia was in the middle of the Omicron wave of the pandemic,” AIHW deputy chief executive officer Mr Matthew James said.
“Now, in mid-2024, it’s a good time to look back over the last few years and consider where we stand.
“Australia’s health 2024 does just this, considering where Australia’s health and health system stand now, and what ongoing and future health challenges remain for us as a nation.”
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