A flipchart, developed by Minum Barreng, University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Eye Health Unit, aims to support the delivery of eye checks and help to address preventable vision loss and blindness in First Nations communities.
Currently, around 30% (or more than 250,000) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive health checks each year. These health checks, including the MBS 715 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Assessment (715 Health Check), include a mandatory eye check and provide an important opportunity to detect eye health and vision issues early during routine primary care.
National data indicates that many First Nations people continue to live with undiagnosed or untreated vision problems. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience vision loss at three times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians, and it is estimated that more than 90% of this vision loss is preventable or treatable if picked up early.
The leading causes of these vision problems include:
Refractive error: Although easily corrected with glasses, nearly one in five Indigenous Australians with refractive error remain uncorrected, contributing to avoidable vision loss.
Cataract: Requires timely detection and surgery to prevent vision loss.
Diabetic retinopathy: Affects one in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with diabetes and requires regular monitoring to prevent progression to blindness. However, only 50% of those living with diabetes receive an eye check as part of their routine care.
Trichiasis from trachoma: This remains an important condition to identify and refer for treatment in primary care.
EYECARE NOW, EYECARE ALWAYS
The health promotion flipchart, Your Eyes and the 715 Health Check, is part of Minum Barreng’s ‘Eyecare Now, Eyecare Always’ campaign. This simple and visual tool is designed to remind Aboriginal health workers, practitioners, and community that a basic eye check is a critical and mandatory component of the 715 Health Check. Promoting the eye health component within the 715 Health Check can also support the use of retinal photography for people with diabetes (MBS item 12325). Used together, these two Medicare items help ensure that both general vision checks, and targeted retinal examinations are included in routine primary care.
PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MESSAGING
The Your Eyes and 715 Health Check flipchart supports both clinical reminders and patient education and aligns with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) preventive health guidelines. Its key messages, illustrations, and images are designed to be flexible and can be used in a range of settings, including clinic consultations, staff training sessions, yarning circles, and community health promotion events.
Developed in collaboration with community members and primary health care providers, it outlines what is involved in an eye check and includes culturally appropriate images and plain language explanations of the main eye conditions.
The flipchart also complements other Minum Barreng national campaigns like ‘Clean Faces, Strong Eyes’ and ‘Check Today, See Tomorrow’.
Additional resources including posters, brochures, and editable templates are available to support the flipchart. Like all Minum Barreng resources, these can be adapted to support place-based health promotion through local ownership and community uptake. Visit: http://bit.ly/4fdndKa.