A nationwide survey of sensory impairment, eye, ear, and general medical health of Australians sampled from 30 selected sites from all six Australian states and two territories. The survey provides Australia’s most comprehensive, contemporary snapshot of eye and ear health which can be used to sharpen prevention, screening and treatment, and to strengthen policy and funding cases. 

The survey identified several risk factors for vision and hearing impairment, including diabetes for both impairments, and current smoking for hearing. Remoteness was strongly associated with a higher risk of vision impairment, but not for hearing.

Key findings

• There has been a small reduction in rates of vision impairment among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, but a substantial gap remains.
• The main causes of vision impairment remain the same, with uncorrected refractive error, cataract and diabetic retinopathy (Indigenous) or age-related macular degeneration (non-Indigenous) being the top causes.
• The age-standardised prevalence of hearing impairment overall is similar among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years or older.
• Hearing impairment is more frequent and severe in males than in females for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.  
• The findings suggest there may be considerable unmet need in addressing hearing impairment in older Australians generally.