The purpose of this project is not only to increase accessible eye care services to remote and isolated Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, but also to provide them in a culturally appropriate way. The ICEE Vision Aboriginal programme has been running in the Northern Territory since November 2006, and now services over 30 Aboriginal communities.

ICEE works closely with the Aboriginal Eye Health Coordinators (AEHC) from each of the five regions within the Northern Territory, to organise the logistics of the service delivery trips. AEHCs are the fulcrum around which a culturally appropriate service can be offered.

The eye clinics are staffed by ICEE optometrists, and provide the following services:

• Subjective refraction and prescription of spectacles
• Basic repair and adjustment of spectacles
• Ordering of spectacles through an ICEE low cost spectacle scheme
• Detection, diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease
• Create awareness of eye health problems and the need for eye health services in the community
• Referral to appropriate health professionals as required (ophthalmology).

The NT has a population of around 205,900 and, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29% of the population, or approximately 60,000 are Aboriginal. Much of the population is also located in regional and remote areas, without permanent access to eye care. Due to geographical, cultural and financial barriers, a large proportion of the Aboriginal population within the NT receive little, if any, regular eye care, as there is currently a shortage of optometric services to Aboriginal people living in rural and remote areas.
The ICEE programme has been successful in assisting to overcome these barriers, by close collaboration with Aboriginal Medical Services and AEHCs.

For Nicola Mountford, an optometrist who locumed for ICEE during one of the NT clinics earlier in 2008, the highlight of her experience was: “Advising a -4.00 myope who had gone uncorrected for several years due to the cost of specs at the local optometry practice that we could arrange specs for her at a cost of $35. She was very happy and appreciative. I think ICEE’s plans to expand its role in Aboriginal eye care in the NT are great.”