Project Report
Enhancing access to eye care accessibility in the Goldfields Region of Western Australia
AUTHORS
#Jackson Chee Chea Lee1 BMed, Unaccredited Ophthalmology Registrar * 
#Amy Kalantary1 MD, Unaccredited Ophthalmology Registrar
Jocelyn Joy Drinkwater1,2 PhD, Research Fellow
Hessom Razavi1,2 FRANZCO, Research Fellow
Angus Warwick Turner1,2 FRANZCO, McCusker Director Lions Outback Vision
#Contributed equally
AFFILIATIONS
1 Lions Outback Vision, Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
2 Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
ACCEPTED: 26 January 2026
Early Abstract:
Introduction: Access to ophthalmic care in the Goldfields is constrained by distance and limited specialist provision. Lions Outback Vision (LOV) has been providing ophthalmology services in the remote Goldfields region in Western Australia, Australia from 2017–2023. We aim to audit the Lions Outback Vision service provision from 2017 to 2023 by evaluating (1) the type and number of ophthalmology services provided (2) changes in cataract surgery rate (CSR) over time (3) engagement by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, and (4) the specialist workforce provision.
Methods: A retrospective, observational audit was conducted by examining de-identified records extracted from LOV’s electronic records system. Chi-square tests were used for bivariable analysis. CSR and full-time equivalent ophthalmology national comparisons were calculated using recent population census data.
Results: There was an increase in total occasions of service, number of cataract surgeries and intravitreal injections (a greater than sixfold increase in occasions of service and a sixteen-fold increase in intravitreal injections between 2017 and 2023). The cataract surgery rate is lower than the Australian national rate across all years. There were an increasing number of services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The full-time equivalent rate (FTER) of consultant ophthalmologist increased in the region over the 7-year period.
Conclusion: Ophthalmology services in the region have expanded annually but remain well below the national average in workforce specialist provision. FTER in the region peaked in 2023 but remains 11 times lower than national average. This audit provides a compelling case for the establishment of a permanent and sustainable ophthalmology service in the area.
Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, cataract, intravitreal injection, ophthalmology, public health, service delivery, telehealth.