Burden of disease in an Indigenous context - eye health

Question 1

globally, […..] are the most common cause of visual impairment, while [….] remain the leading cause of blindness.

Answer 1

uncorrected refractive errors

cataracts

Question 2

what are the target disease areas for VISION 2020 campaign?

Answer 2

cataracts
refractive errors
Trachoma
Childhood blindness
Low vision
Onchoceriasis
Glaucoma
Retinopathy
Age related macular degeneration

Question 3

[…]% of vision loss in Australia is considered preventable/ treatable. How does this compare to vision loss within the indigenous cohort specifically?

Answer 3

75%

94% is avoidable.

Question 4

Based on the national indigenous health survey, how did vision for indigenous youth and adults compare to mainstream?

What were the prime causes in adults?

Answer 4

vision loss in children was 1/5th as common as mainstream.

in adults, vision loss was 3x more common in indigenous and blindness was 6x more common.

Main causes were cataracts, refractive error and optic atrophy, and trachoma and diabetic eye disease.

Question 5

why is there such a disparity in vision health between indigenous adults and mainstream adults?

Answer 5

• cataracts are 12x more common in indig, wait times are 88% longer
• refractive error, 20% of indig wear glasses, most cant afford to buy them and so 39% cant read normal print
• 37% of indig have diabetes –>retinopathy; 98% is preventable from diabetes but indig do not have access to early detection, poor access to laser surgery
• high incidence of trachoma infection due to unhygienic conditions

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Question 6

what strategy has been implemented to counteract the trichoma infections in indigenous populations?

Answer 6

SAFE strategy

• surgery
• antibiotics
• facial cleanliness
• environmental improvemnts

Question 7

those diagnosed with diabetes should receive retinal examination every [….]

Answer 7

at time of diagnosis and annually from then.