Active trachoma among Indigenous children aged five to nine from at-risk communities was 1.8 per cent in 2023, down from 14 per cent in 2007, according to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report.
A total of 74 Indigenous children were observed with the infection in those communities when they were screened in 2023.
Trachoma can lead to serious health concerns including scarring, in-turned eyelashes on the upper eyelid and blindness, if left untreated.
Most blindness and vision impairment among First Nations people is from preventable or treatable conditions, institute spokesperson Jo Baker said.
"Eye diseases and vision problems are the most common long-term health conditions First Nations people experience, with around one-third reporting long-term eye conditions," she said.
The report, Eye health measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2024, showed an increase in cataract surgeries among adults.
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness among Indigenous adults and its rate per million, adjusted for age, increased from 7504 to 9297.
Median waiting times for cataract surgery fell to 159 days, from the 181 days recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022/23.
Waiting times are still higher than the pre-pandemic 141 days recorded in 2016/17.
The prevalence of bilateral blindness among Indigenous people was 0.3 per cent, and bilateral vision impairment at 10 per cent.
The proportion of Indigenous people who had their eyes checked remained steady over a 10-year period at about 20 per cent, standardised for age.
This compares with 22 to 27 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians having an eye examination over the same period, between 2012/13 and 2022/23.
"Monitoring the eye health of First Nations people and their use of eye health services helps us to better understand prevalence, address barriers and see continued improvement," Ms Baker said.
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