ICEE is expanding its Aboriginal Eye Care Programme into the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. In 2006, ICEE was invited to begin conducting quarterly service delivery trips to remote regions of the area. Trips consist of ICEE staff optometrists who work alongside regional Aboriginal Eye Health Workers.

ICEE Optometrist, Tricia Keys explains the problems confronted in the NT. “The programme can be demanding due to the remote locations of the communities. It is incredibly rewarding though, to know that we are making a difference by building the skills of local people and giving sight to those in need,” she said.

Initially, the programme started in Tennant Creek; it has now expanded to the Katherine, East Arnhem Land and Darwin regions. ICEE collaborates with the relevant Aboriginal Medical Service and Aboriginal Health Worker in each region. As of May 2007, 22 communities had been visited, with visits to an additional ten communities planned for late this year.

There is evidence to show that Aboriginal people are ten times more likely to be blind or vision impaired due to preventable causes compared to the national average. Due to geographical and financial barriers, a large proportion of the Aboriginal population within the Northern Territory receive little, if any, regular eye care. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004) that the 25% of the Northern Territory’s are Aboriginal.

The ICEE programme is aimed at increasing access to eye care services and awareness of the importance of eye care in the Aboriginal communities.

ICEE has established its own low-cost spectacle programme which allows spectacles to be affordable to more Aboriginal people, while some are also eligible for the government subsidised spectacle concession scheme.

As of May 2007, a total of 959 patients have had eye examinations and 637 pairs of spectacles have been prescribed.