There has not been a population-based survey of eye health in Aotearoa New Zealand. This means that we don’t know how many people are living with vision loss, and we do not have enough information to plan and deliver equitable eye care services.

Eye health services are not accessible to all New Zealanders, with Māori and Pacific people particularly under-represented among those able to  access the services that they need.

When eye health services are not accessible, people experience preventable or treatable vision loss, and miss out on opportunities to participate fully with whānau, or in everyday activities such as driving, working, and learning.

By completing this project, we will understand how many people need eye care services, and how we can make them more accessible to everyone.

The survey will estimate how many adults in Aotearoa live with vision impairment as well as its main causes, along with estimates for people living with hearing loss, foot problems, and diabetes. The survey will also estimate the extent to which people are accessing the health services that they need for these conditions.

This work is a collaboration between the Community Eye Health team and researchers with clinical expertise in audiology, podiatry, primary care, and diabetic medicine, as well as methodological expertise in Kaupapa Māori research, epidemiology and biostatistics. The research team will work closely with communities, service providers, professional associations and training institutions.

In July 2021, we began a pilot eye health survey in the Glen Innes, Panmure and Ōrākei areas of Auckland. This was an important step in preparing for our population-based study.

This early work gave us a snapshot of eye health needs among three population groups living in this area: Māori and Pacific people aged 40+ years, and other New Zealanders aged 50+ years.

We observed large unmet need in this community. While many people had distance or near vision impairment,  many also expressed difficulty in accessing eye care and obtaining custom-made spectacles to correct their vision.

The pilot study helped us understand the barriers that prevent people from participating in surveys like ours. By recruiting people door-to-door and discussing their concerns, we now have a better understanding of how to reach and recruit people from different population groups.

Testing our survey on a small group of people also gave us an opportunity to work with different researchers, clinicians, and community groups. It showed us how important a collaborative approach will be, as we embark on our full survey.

This multi-disciplinary project is a collaboration between researchers and health professionals across optometry, audiology, and beyond. Some of our collaborators involved in this project include:

School of Population Health, The University of Auckland:

Associate Professor Matire Harwood, Dr Arier Lee

School of Medicine, The University of Auckland:

Professor Rinki Murphy

Department of Audiology, The University of Auckland:

Dr Alehandrea Manuel

Te Whatu Ora:

Michele Garrett, Tarati Blair-Hunt

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:

Associate Professor Islay Mactaggart

The project is funded by a HRC Project Grant, with co-funding from Blind Low Vision NZ, the NZ Association of Optometrists, and the Buchanan Charitable Foundation.

We are also excited about our partnership with Te Tohu Paetahi Tikanga Rangatira aa-Tapuhi (Bachelor of Nursing Māori) at Manukau Institute of Technology that will see students join our research team.