Eye health
Life before the drought
(1999)
Julie Weekes
Acrylic on archer paper
This artwork is provided by the Edith Cowan University Art Collection.
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The painting:
Basically the painting tells the viewer that life is controlled by the change of the environment. This change has taken place within thousands of years, yet man within an eye blink can cause the same change in the land for the sake of development.
The artist:
My mother is fifth generation Australian of European descent and my father a Torres Strait Islander. I grew up knowing I was an Islander but had no knowledge of my family or culture.
About this web resource
The need for better information and resources
The overall level of eye disorders is believed to be similar for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, but total or partial loss of vision is more frequent among Indigenous than among non-Indigenous people. The differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the frequency of total or partial loss of vision are greatest in the middle adult years – for these age groups, the level is twice as high for Indigenous people as for non-Indigenous people. With the very high levels of diabetes among Indigenous people, it is expected that diabetic retinopathy could increase their burden of total or partial loss of vision in the future.
Despite their higher levels of total or partial loss of vision, the provision of eye health services for Indigenous people is very variable across Australia. Many Indigenous people have limited access to specialist eye health services and problems have been identified in their access to corrective spectacles.
The development of eye disease and the progression to complications can be prevented and many eye conditions are readily treated, so clearly much more needs to be done. The development of appropriate strategies and programs – at national, state and regional levels – requires access to accurate, up-to-date information and resources.
This web resource aims to increase the access of people involved in addressing the eye health of Indigenous peoples to accurate, up-to-date knowledge, information and resources.
Content of the Indigenous eye health web resource
In aiming to provide access to good quality knowledge, information and resources for people involved in addressing the eye health of Indigenous peoples, this web resource will include: reviews; guidelines; resources; programs, projects and lessons; policies and strategies; publications; and links. It will also include information about research activity, organisations and agencies and individuals working in the field.
Development of the Indigenous eye health web resource
Development of this web resource has been made possible with funds provided to the HealthInfoNet by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing’s Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) – both through our ‘core’ agreement and special funds made available in 2006-07 for development of the resource in its current form.
The HealthInfoNet is currently exploring options for adding the capacity for people involved in the area to actively share their knowledge, information and experiences through development of a yarning place (an electronic network) that encourages electronic yarning and networking among people working across Australia to address the eye health of Indigenous peoples. » more information
Development of a yarning place for people involved in addressing the eye health of Indigenous peoples - and further refinement of this web resource - is beyond the HealthInfoNet's capacity with current funds, but attempts are being made to identify possible funding sources to enable this to happen.
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