The findings of the 2025 Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey (AEEHS) provide both an important progress marker and a clear reminder of the work still to be done. While the survey highlights encouraging reductions in the national rates of vision impairment, it also reinforces a stark reality: Indigenous Australians continue to experience avoidable vision loss at disproportionately high rates.
At Vanguard Health, improving access to essential eye care in regional and remote communities is core to our mission. The AEEHS findings confirm why programs like our Indigenous and Remote Eye Health Service (IRIS)remain critical—and why expanding these services is vital for the future.
AEEHS Findings: Progress with a Persistent Gap
The AEEHS examined more than 4,500 Australians over 30 sites nationwide and delivered a comprehensive picture of eye and ear health in 2025. Encouragingly, the survey reports that the age-standardised prevalence of bilateral vision impairment has reduced since the last national survey in 2015–2016.
However, the gap remains significant.
- Indigenous Australians experience almost three times higher rates of bilateral vision impairment compared with non-Indigenous Australians.
- Remoteness continues to be the strongest risk factor, with the highest rates of impairment recorded in remote and very remote areas—areas where people must often travel long distances for even basic eye care.
Despite meaningful improvements in refractive error coverage and cataract surgery access, the report makes one thing clear: geographical barriers continue to drive inequity.
This is exactly where IRIS is designed to intervene.
How IRIS Is Changing the Landscape of Indigenous Eye Health
Launched to improve the availability and coordination of specialist eye care in rural and remote communities, IRIS brings ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses and support teams directly to where they are needed most.
The AEEHS conclusion recognises IRIS as a key contributor in reducing vision impairment rates across remote Australia—a powerful validation of the program’s impact.
Here’s how IRIS is making a measurable difference:
1. Bringing Specialists to the Community
For many Indigenous Australians, an eye exam is not simply a matter of booking an appointment—it may involve hundreds of kilometres of travel, multiple providers and long wait times.
IRIS removes this barrier by delivering fully coordinated specialist clinics, ensuring people can access cataract assessments, diabetic eye checks and urgent consultations without leaving their community.
2. Increased Cataract Surgery Access
The AEEHS highlights marked improvements in cataract surgery coverage, with the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians narrowing significantly over the past decade.
IRIS plays an essential role in this improvement by working with local health services to:
- identify patients earlier
- coordinate pre-operative and post-operative care
- schedule visiting surgical teams where needed
This reduces delays and ensures that culturally safe, continuous care is available.
3. Strengthening Local Capacity
IRIS does more than deliver specialist care; it strengthens the capability of local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and regional clinics. By working alongside local practitioners, the program builds skills, increases confidence in early detection and supports ongoing management of chronic eye conditions.
4. Culturally Safe, Community-Led Delivery
Trust is at the heart of effective healthcare. IRIS is delivered in partnership with Aboriginal Medical Services and regional health organisations, ensuring that care is culturally appropriate, community-driven and aligned with local priorities. This model has repeatedly proven to increase screening uptake and reduce the likelihood of people falling through the cracks.
The Road Ahead
The AEEHS makes it clear that progress is happening, but meaningful equity requires continued investment in outreach and community-led eye care. Remoteness, diabetes and socio-economic disadvantage continue to amplify risk—but they are not barriers we must accept.
At Vanguard Health, we are committed to expanding IRIS so that more communities can access timely, high-quality eye care close to home. Every cataract removed, every pair of glasses prescribed, and every diabetic eye check completed is a step toward closing the gap.
The data shows improvement. The need shows urgency.
And the success of IRIS shows what is possible when services go to the people, rather than expecting people to travel to the service.
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