About Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the oldest continuing cultures in the world, with deep connections to Country, community, language and culture.
Professor Fred Hollows saw firsthand the inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in accessing eye care. In the late 1970s, he led the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program, bringing eye care to thousands of people across Australia and advocating for the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to good health and self-determination.
Today, The Fred Hollows Foundation continues this legacy by working with partners to strengthen eye health systems, improve access to care and support better eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The eye health challenge in Australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience significant eye health inequities compared with other Australians. While great progress has been made, barriers to accessing timely, culturally appropriate eye care remain.
A gap in eye health outcomes
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to experience vision impairment or blindness than other Australians.
Higher rates of preventable and treatable eye conditions continue to contribute to poorer eye health outcomes.
Preventable vision loss
90% of vision loss among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults is preventable or treatable.
Conditions such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy, trachoma and uncorrected refractive error can often be treated or managed with timely access to care.
Barriers to accessing care
Many people face challenges accessing eye health services, particularly in remote communities.
Distance, workforce shortages, referral pathways and access to culturally appropriate services can make it harder for people to receive the care they need.
Building stronger systems
A skilled, culturally safe eye health workforce is essential to closing the gap.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, workforce development and stronger health systems helps create sustainable access to eye care.
Our work in Australia
The Fred Hollows Foundation works alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), governments and health partners to strengthen eye health systems across Australia.
Our work focuses on:
Improving access to eye care
Supporting eye health services to reach people in remote and underserved communities, including through outreach, screening and referral pathways.
Strengthening the eye health workforce
Building capability across the eye health workforce and supporting pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals.
Supporting stronger health systems
Working with partners to improve coordination, data, evidence and models of care that help people access timely, culturally appropriate eye health services.
Partnering for long-term change
Supporting community-led approaches and partnerships that strengthen sustainable eye health outcomes.
One of the big barriers is, first and foremost, managing your way through the system just to get to surgery. Some of that comes down to referral pathways and waiting lists.
Australia’s trachoma journey
For decades, trachoma was a major cause of preventable blindness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities.
Through decades of work led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, alongside governments, health organisations and partners, Australia has made significant progress.
In April 2026, the World Health Organization confirmed that Australia had eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.
This achievement reflects sustained community-led efforts, including improvements in screening, treatment, education, sanitation and access to care.
While this is an important milestone, continued investment is needed to protect these gains and strengthen eye health services across remote communities.
In 2025, The Foundation and its partners made great progress in key strategic areas in Australasia:
24,001
People screened.
3,885
Eye operations and treatments performed including cataract operations, surgeries to treat trachoma, diabetic retinopathy treatments and other sight saving or improving interventions.
220,981
People treated with antibiotics for trachoma.
4,537
Pairs of glasses distributed.
115
People trained including community health workers and clinic support staff.
1,524
School children and community members educated in eye health and sanitation.
The countries in Australasia that The Foundation works in are Australia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Nauru.
Learn more about our work in Indigenous Australia
Why Indigenous eye health mattered so much to Fred Hollows
The history of trachoma in Australia and how it was eliminated
Why are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people more likely to experience vision loss?
