Future burden of vision loss in Australia: Projections from the National Eye Health Survey

Abstract

Importance: Projections of Australia's future burden of vision loss will inform eye health service delivery. Background: This study aimed to forecast bilateral vision loss in Australia from 2020 to 2050. Design: Population-based survey. Participants: Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (n = 4253) aged ≥50 years from the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS, 2015-2016). Methods: Using the age-and-sex-stratified prevalence of vision loss (better eye visual acuity <6/12) from the NEHS, the prevalence of, and number of people aged ≥50 years with, vision loss were forecast to 2050 using Australian census projections. Main outcome measure: Prevalence of, and number of Australians with, vision lo..