The World Health Organisation has confirmed Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, a landmark achievement for people and communities and a significant step in preventing avoidable vision loss.
Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of preventable blindness. In Australia, trachoma is found primarily in regional and remote First Nations communities, and most commonly in children.
Repeated infections with trachoma, especially during childhood, may lead to trichiasis, where scarring causes the eyelashes to turn inwards and damage the surface of the eye and can lead to loss and blindness.
In communities identified as being at risk, trachoma prevalence has reduced in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5-9 years from 14.9% in 2009 to 1.5% in 2024.
In a media release, federal health minister Mark Butler said this was a huge milestone and reflected decades of community-led effort by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), medical professionals and health workers in bi-partisan partnership with consecutive Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
No one in Australia should experience avoidable vision loss, the release said, and this work brought Australia closer to a more equitable health system.
Addressing trachoma is part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to closing the gap in health outcomes and ensuring preventable disease does not limit opportunity.
“While this is an important achievement, we need to remain vigilant to avoid the re-emergence of trachoma,” Butler said.
“The elimination of trachoma in Australia marks a major milestone for the eye health of our communities.
“In the real world, it is helping to protect sight, wellbeing and quality of life from this preventable disease.
“I particularly thank the community members, community leaders and ACCHOs for their commitment and leadership to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.
“Elimination was achieved through partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and it will only be sustained the same way.”
Optometry Australia (OA) CEO Mark Nevin also welcomed the announcement and called for the policy settings and services that made this outcome possible to be sustained.
An OA media release said ACCHOs, visiting optometrists and other eyecare practitioners had been integral to the effort of eliminating trachoma – delivering culturally safe care and maintaining the trusted community relationships that underpin lasting health change in areas where geography, cost and workforce shortages would otherwise leave communities without access to timely eye care.
“This is a proud moment for eye health in Australia and a testament to what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities, ACCHOs and eye care professionals can achieve together with Government support and funding,” Nevin said.
“While elimination of trachoma is a significant milestone, it must be protected, and ongoing outreach to address other avoidable sight loss remains essential.”
The release said that while the National Eye Health Survey provided an important baseline, updated findings from the Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey showed significant gaps in eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples persist.
The report highlights higher rates of vision impairment and avoidable eye disease, reinforcing that trachoma elimination is a major achievement, but only one part of a much broader eye health equity challenge.
Optometry Australia was calling for sustained national collaboration to address these inequities, including investment in First Nations eye health workforce development and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led leadership in the design and delivery of eye health programs.
Regular eye examinations remained one of the most effective tools for detecting and preventing vision loss and ensuring communities at risk have consistent access to culturally safe care is essential.
Nevin further noted that initiatives like the Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS), which helps fund optometrists to deliver eye care in remote and regional communities, have been integral to delivering outreach care where it’s needed it most.
“In many communities, visiting optometrists are the only pathway to a routine eye examination. Regrettably, rising travel and accommodation costs, workforce pressures and inconsistent access to care have placed growing strain on the scheme’s ability to deliver,” he said.
“Without sustainable resourcing, conditions including trachoma, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma can progress undetected to the point of irreversible vision loss.
“As the VOS enters a new funding cycle this year, we have urged the Australian Government to ensure the scheme is resourced to meet the real cost of service delivery, so the progress made on trachoma is protected and we can continue efforts to keep closing the gap on preventable vision loss.”
