Eye, ear and hearing health

Measure

Prevalence of vision loss among First Nations people

Available by

• Sex: males, females, persons.


• Indigenous status: First Nations, non-Indigenous.


• Remoteness Area (AUS only): Major Cities, Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote, Very remote.

Data period

2022 to 2025

Data source

Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey 2025.

Region types

Main structures: Australia, states and territories.

Suppression

• Data have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage is less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.


• Data have been suppressed if not stated responses accounted for >50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.


• Data have been flagged if not stated responses accounted for 25%–50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.

Notes

The rates are based on sample data. The 2021 Australian Census population is used as the standard population for age-standardised (or adjusted) data.

References

Kha R, Liew G, Low G, Burlutsky G, Kapucu Y, Waddell C, Davis A, Tim Fricke T, Macken O, Yang E, White A, Gopinath B, Keay L, Mitchell P 2025. Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey- external site opens in new window. Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney). Sydney. Viewed 5 November 2025.

Measures

• Measure 3.1 Hospitalisations for diseases of they eye:
  
  
  
  • Number of hospitalisations,
  
  
  • Crude rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population),
  
  
  • Age-standardised rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population), by Indigenous status.
  
  
  
  


• Measure 3.2 Hospitalisation for injuries to the eye:
  
  
  
  • Number of hospitalisations,
  
  
  • Crude rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population),
  
  
  • Age-standardised rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population), by Indigenous status.
  
  
  
  


• Measure 3.3 Hospitalisations for precedures of they eye:
  
  
  
  • Number of hospitalisations,
  
  
  • Crude rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population),
  
  
  • Age-standardised rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population), by Indigenous status.
  
  
  
  


• Measure 3.4 Hospitalisations for cataract surgery:
  
  
  
  • Number of hospitalisations,
  
  
  • Crude rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population),
  
  
  • Age-standardised rate of hospitalisation (number per 1,000 population), by Indigenous status.
  
  
  
  

Available by

• Sex: males, females, persons.


• Age group: 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75 and over.


• Remoteness Area (AUS only): Major Cities, Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote, Very remote.

Data period

2022 July - 2023 June to 2023 July - 2024 June

Data source

AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database, 2022-2023 to 2023-2024; populations based on AIHW population modelling using ABS population estimates and projections

Region types

• Main structures: Australia, states and territories.


• Indigenous structures: Indigenous Regions (IREG).


• Other structures: Primary Health Network (PHN), Roadmap to Close to the Gap for Vision Regions (Roadmap Region).

Suppression

• Counts have been suppressed if the values with more than 0 but less than 5 hospitalisations.


• Rates have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage is less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Hospitalisations include public and private hospitals.


• Hospitalisations with a care type of  Newborn (without qualified days) and records for Hospital boarders and Posthumous organ procurement have been excluded.


• Diseases of the eye includes the following ICD–10–AM codes: H00–H59. Based on principal diagnosis only.


• Injuries to the eye include the following ICD–10–AM codes: 1, S02.3, S02.8, S00.1, S00.2, S01.1, T15.0, T15.1, T15.8, T15.9, S05.1, S05.4, S05.5, S05.6, S04.0–S04.2, S04.4, S05.0, S05.2,S05.3,S05.7–S05.9, T26.0–T26.4, T49.5, T90.4. Based on principal diagnosis only.


• Procedures of the eye includes the following ICD–10–AM codes: H00–H59. Only includes patients that received acute care.


• Cataract surgery includes the following ACHI codes: 42698–00 to 42698–05, 42702–00 to 42702–11, 42716–00, 42719–00, 42719–02, 42722–00, 42731–00, 42731–01, 42734–00, 42788–00 or the following ACHI procedure blocks: 193–203. Based on any procedure code.


• Includes public and private hospitals.


• For WA, non-Indigenous separations include separations where Indigenous status was not recorded. For all other state, records where Indigenous status is not recorded are separate.


• Data exclude hospitalisations in WA with a contracted patient status of 'Inter-hospital contracted patient to private sector hospital', to adjust for separations recorded on both sides of contractual care arrangements.


• All state groupings and geographical classifications (IREG, roadmap region and PHN) are based on usual place of residence.


• APY Lands = Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, NG Lands = Ngaanyatjarra Lands, Northern SA combined (2 regions) = Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands and Flinders and Upper North.

Measures

• Emergency Department presentations for principal diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process:
  
  
  
  • Number of presentations,
  
  
  • Crude rate (number of presentations per 1,000 population).
  
  
  
  


• Ear or hearing-related hospital procedures:
  
  
  
  • Number of procedures,
  
  
  • Crude rate (number procedures per 1,000 population).
  
  
  
  


• Middle ear-related procedures for principal diagnosis of diseases of the middle ear or mastoid process:
  
  
  
  • Number of procedures,
  
  
  • Crude rate (number of procedures per 1,000 population).
  
  
  
  

Available by

• Sex: males, females, persons.


• Age group: under 0–14, 15–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, 55 and over.

Data period

July 2022 – June 2023  to July 2023 - June 2024

Data sources

AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database, 2022-2023 to 2023-2024; populations based on AIHW population modelling using ABS population estimates and projections

Region types

• Main structures: Australia, states and territories.


• Indigenous structures: Indigenous Regions (IREG).


• Other structures: Primary Health Network (PHN).

Suppression

• Counts have been suppressed if the values with more than 0 but less than 5 hospitalisations.


• Rates have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage is less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Principal diagnoses were reported using ICD‑10‑AM (11th (2022-23) and 12th Edition (2023-24)) 3‑character diagnosis codes. Presentations were included if they were coded ICD-10-AM (11th and 12th Edition) H60-H95.


• Ear or hearing-related hospital procedures includes the following ACHI 12th edition procedure block numbers: 300-334.


• Diseases of the middle ear or mastoid process include ICD-10-AM (12th edition) codes: principal diagnosis of middle ear disease (H65-H75). Procedures include ACHI 11th edition procedure block numbers: 307–316 (inclusive).


• Data includes public and private hospitals in all jurisdictions.


• To calculate rates for the First Nations population, projections (medium series) based on the 2021 Census have been used (ABS 2011-to-2031). Rates for non-Indigenous Australians are calculated using total population estimates based on the 2021 Census (ABS 2022) and subtracting the projections for First Nations people.


• Data exclude hospitalisations in WA with a contracted patient status of 'Inter-hospital contracted patient to private sector hospital', to adjust for separations recorded on both sides of contractual care arrangements.


• Data exclude separations for Newborns without qualified days, Hospital boarders and Posthumous organ procurement.


• All state groupings and geographical classifications (IREG and PHN) are based on usual place of residence.