Indigenous Eye Health
About IEH
Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) was established in 2008 by Professor Hugh R Taylor, AC at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health to undertake world-leading research that has established an evidence-base and policy framework to address Indigenous eye health in Australia.
IEH aims to Close the Gap for Vision for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through world-leading research, policy formation, advocacy and implementation. Research has established the state of Indigenous eye health in Australia and current service availability and explored barriers and enablers to the delivery of eye health services for Indigenous peoples.
The evidence gathered has guided the development of a comprehensive policy framework – The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision - that is supported by the Indigenous and mainstream health sectors and government. IEH is currently actively engaged in providing the necessary advocacy and technical support to Close the Gap for Vision.
Close the Gap for Vision by 2020: Strengthen & Sustain – National Conference 2019
Following the success of the Close the Gap for Vision by 2020 national conferences in 2017 and 2018, Indigenous Eye Health and co-host Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), are pleased to invite you to the 2019 national conference.
(to stay informed about conference details please join our mailing list)
2018 Annual Update on the Implementation of The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision
IEH are pleased to announce the launch of the 2018 Annual Update on the Implementation of The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision at the 50th Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in Adelaide.
Our work
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Roadmap
Progress and resources to support the implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision.
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Diabetes Eye Care
Free resources for health professionals and communities to help raise awareness for people with diabetes about the need for annual eye checks to avoid blindness.
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Trachoma
Australia is the only developed country in the world to still have active trachoma in remote Indigenous communities. Here you can find free tools and resources to assist in fighting this disease.
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people - the traditional owners of the land upon which Indigenous Eye Health is located, and their Elders past, present and future.

About IEH
The University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) was established in 2008 at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health to undertake world-leading research that has established an evidence base and policy framework to address Indigenous eye health in Australia.
The leader of IEH is Melbourne Laureate Professor Hugh R Taylor AC, an internationally renowned ophthalmologist, and inaugural Harold Mitchell Chair of Indigenous Eye Health.
Our Team
Professor Taylor leads a team of knowledge translation scholars, health promotion and research officers and administrative staff.


Governance
An Advisory Board oversees the work of IEH and provides overarching advice, direction on work, guidance on funding, and advice as to how data collected can be used to implement policy change
Supporters and Donors
The work of IEH is generously supported by a number of private donors, philanthropic trusts, and the Australian Government Department of Health.

About the roadmap
Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) undertook The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision project to review health service provision and develop a model of eye care for Indigenous Australians for presentation to the Australian Government.
The project outcomes are documented in The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision, released in 2012, which includes a sector-endorsed, evidence-based, whole-of-system framework that collectively seeks to address Indigenous eye health inequity and Close the Gap for Vision.

Roadmap Resources
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Reports
The full range of Roadmap reports, Annual Updates, Roundtable reports and Technical reports that explain and report progress on the implementation of the Roadmap.
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Regional Implementation Toolkit
This Regional Implementation Toolkit provides a range of resources to assist communities and services to calculate, plan and monitor improved eye health outcomes for regional areas throughout Australia.
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Position Papers
The full set of the Indigenous Eye Health’s Position Papers on various issues and policy matters.
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Eye Health Calculator
This calculator estimates for a given population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the annual requirements for delivery and coordination of eye care services.

Publications
A range of additional publications associated with Indigenous Eye Health and the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision.
- Reports, Books, Journal Articles, Newsletters and Conference Posters

About Diabetes Eye Care
Diabetes is a major cause of vision loss and blindness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Up to 98% of vision loss and blindness from diabetes is preventable with early detection and follow-up treatment. Everyone with diabetes is at risk of going blind. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes require a yearly eye check to reduce their risk of vision loss and blindness
An iterative, engaging, community-driven process was taken to develop eye health promotion messages and resources focusing on diabetes eye care.

Explore our diabetes resources
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Resource Kit
The 'Check Today, See Tomorrow' resource kit has been developed to help increase awareness about diabetes eye care.
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Downloads
A variety of diabetes eye care resources and support materials are available for download.
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Multimedia
A selection of multimedia resources including music videos and radio ads are available to use.
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Get Involved
Suggestions and ideas of how to use the ‘Check Today, See Tomorrow’ resources in your community.

Publications
A range of additional publications associated with Indigenous Eye Health and the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision.
- Reports, Books, Journal Articles, Newsletters and Conference Posters
Training
IEH has worked with a number of collaborators to develop a range of training resources.
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Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Card (for health professionals)
A basic diabetic retinopathy screening tool for health professionals conducting an eye check for people with diabetes to help determine appropriate referral and follow-up.
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Diabetic Retinopathy Grading Course
This course is organised in several parts and includes practice quiz sessions for each. A final competency-based exam evaluates the ability to accurately detect and grade diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.
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Remote Area Health Corps RAHC
Eye Health and Diabetes Module.
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Remote Area Health Corps RAHC
Diabetes eLearning Module [Video]

About Trachoma
Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness in 42 of the world's poorest countries. Australia is the only developed country in the world to still have active trachoma in remote Indigenous communities. Trachoma is most often found in small children but scarring and in turned eye lashes are found in older people throughout the country. Trachoma persists in areas with poor personal and community hygiene.
In 2010, IEH coordinated the development of the Trachoma Story Kit. This comprehensive kit includes flipcharts, guidelines & student resources that can be used by clinics, schools & community groups to provide clear and consistent messages about trachoma, how it is spread & how everyone can help to eliminate it.

Explore our Trachoma Resources
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Resource Kit
A brief explanation of the Trachoma Story Kit and list of accompanying resources.
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Downloads
A range of free downloads including information on how to use the resources, flyers, posters and order forms as well as conference posters talking about a variety of issues in trachoma.
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Multimedia
IEH has developed several multimedia resources to help promote awareness of Trachoma. You can view these all for free here.
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Get Involved
Order a Trachoma T-shirt, request permission to create your own resources, and more about how to use them effectively.

Publications
A range of additional publications associated with Indigenous Eye Health and the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision.
- Reports, Books, Journal Articles, Newsletters and Conference Posters
Training
IEH has worked with a number of collaborators to develop a range of training resources.

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Indigenous Eye Health at Melbourne University have prepared jurisdictional snapshots of some of the key data available in Indigenous Eye Health Measures in Australia 2017, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in April 2018.
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Professor Hugh Taylor recently spoke with the Anangu Lands Paper Tracker about eye health, ways to keep your eyes healthy and strong and the recent launch of the 2018 Annual Update on the Implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision.https://www.papertracker.com.au/radio/hugh-taylor-closing-the-gap-on-vision/
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VIEW THE 2018 ANNUAL UPDATE REPORTThe 2018 Annual Update on the Implementation of The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision was launched on Monday 19 November at the 50th Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in Adelaide by Shane Mohor, CEO of the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia and Professor Hugh Taylor, Head of Indigenous Eye Health at Melbourne University. Dr Heather Mack, President-Elect of RANZCO hosted the launch.
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The fight to end preventable blindness among Indigenous Australians has made “unbelievable strides” in the last decade, but the relentless push for reform continues.
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Professor Hugh Taylor AC is the founder of Indigenous Eye Health at Melbourne University, and is fighting to close the gap of preventable blindness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by 2020. He is this week’s Changemaker.
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Following the success of the Close the Gap for Vision by 2020 national conferences in 2017 and 2018, Indigenous Eye Health and co-host Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), are pleased to invite you to save the date for the 2019 national conference.The Close the Gap for Vision by 2020 – National Conference 2019 will be held in Alice Springs, Northern Territory on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March 2019 at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.
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Laureate Professor Hugh Taylor used the fourth Jean McCaughey Oration to outline a reduction in adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander blindness rates from six to three times the non-Indigenous population. The Oration recognises the contribution of the late doctors Jean and Davis McCaughey to social justice and human rights.
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A new national program will be established to support development of an electronic eye health record and ensure people registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme get regular reminders to have their eyes checked.Minister Hunt media release Media Release Background
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In South Australian the Trachoma Elimination Program is coordinated by Country Health SA Local Health Network in partnership with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in at-risk communities. The first 4 months of the year have been busy as we engage with our communities to develop localised programs. Nganampa Health Council commenced trachoma and trichiasis screening on the APY Lands in March, assisted by Aboriginal Community Services with the roll out of their environmental and health promotion activities.
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On the 28 February, the Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) team in partnership with Prime Minister & Cabinet (PM&C) and the Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) held a workshop in Alice Springs to bring together various stakeholders from across the Northern Territory to discuss environmental health aspects of the SAFE Strategy. 19 government and non-government organisations were represented at the workshops – including the NT Departments of Health, Education, Housing and Infrastructure.
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Conference Report
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The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released Indigenous eye health measures 2017 as an online presentation of the latest Indigenous eye health data.
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Indigenous eye health is a good news story for closing the gap
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The Journal of the American Medical Association have published a new article using data from the National Eye Health Survey on the Prevalence and Causes of Unilateral Vision Impairment and Blindness in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
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National Conference 2018
Close the Gap for Vision by 2020: Striving TogetherNational Conference 2018
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Great achievement by Congress in winning Australian Human Resources Institute awards for Indigenous employment.
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Democratising Indigenous DataProfessor Ian Anderson AO, Deputy Secretary Indigenous at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet recently delivered the 2017 Menzies Oration on Democratising Indigenous Data.
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The MBS Item 715/12325 Eye Check Card is designed to support vision screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by outlining the key steps required for GPs and other health professionals providing eye and vision screening for MBS Item 715 and diabetic retinopathy screening for MBS Item 12325.
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Blindness is a devastating disability that impacts disproportionately on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but the good news is that some solid progress is being made
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Indigenous eye health is improving, but more needs to be done.
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The head of IEH, Professor Hugh Taylor, talks about the importance of diabetic retinopathy screening and the latest data for the related Medicare item.
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Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) engaged Ninti One to conduct an independent evaluation of the Trachoma Health Promotion Programme (THPP) in six remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia.
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Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet and The Fred Hollows Foundation have developed a visually engaging health practice resource that complements the more detailed written information available on the HealthInfoNet dedicated eye health website. The video and resources are free for educational purposes.
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The Paul Ramsay Foundation will invest more than $1.5 million from now until 2020 to support Indigenous Eye Health in their work.
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Sean Choolburra LIVE on Big Breaky- CAAMA Radio, NT
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Interview by CAAMA Radio, NT
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By Rosamond Gilden and Carol A HoldenIndigenous Eye Health, The University of Melbourne
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New funding announced
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On 25 July 2016, Indigenous Eye Health at the University of Melbourne hosted ‘Non-mydriatic retinal photography - a roundtable in preparation for new MBS items for people with diabetes’. This meeting brought together representatives from peak national bodies across Australia, covering Indigenous health, eye care and diabetes, to discuss approaches and actions necessary to support the successful introduction of new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items for non- mydriatic retinal photography (NMRP) for people with diabetes. Participants were provided with updates including currently available information and resources, discussed the barriers and solutions to increase diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening rates in Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) and mainstream practices, and identified some of the next steps for implementation. Thirty-one people attended the meeting representing fourteen organisations.Download Report
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Andrew Trounson, University of Melbourne
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Indigenous Eye Health and Katherine West Health Board have partnered together with Aboriginal comedian Sean Choolburra for the upcoming Katherine West Health Board Health Fest 2016. Sean will be conducting school and evening comedy performances in eight communities in the Katherine West region from 17th to 28th September. The festival promotes keeping faces clean to stop trachoma and tobacco smoking reduction.
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Hugh Taylor, University of Melbourne; Emma Stanford, University of Melbourne, and Fiona Lange, University of Melbourne
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Below you will find our three new Trachoma 'Clean Faces, Strong Eyes' Hip Hop Music Videos.
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