Establish a benchmark against which to plan for and measure progress in eye health and vision care
New Zealand’s eye health policy, planning and programmes should be supported by high-quality research and data collection systems. But New Zealand has no formal data on the prevalence or causation of vision loss. Other countries like Australia have strategies, policies and frameworks that give them up-to-date representative data on eye health conditions. As a result, New Zealand has no comprehensive eye health strategies, policies or frameworks to plan for and measure progress in eye health and vision care. The first step in correcting this is to get truly representative and current New Zealand population-based data on the prevalence and causes of vision impairment.
Intervention 1
Conduct the first ever National Eye Health Survey in New Zealand, to inform future planning and funding decisions. New Zealand can learn from the Australian experience of running their first National Eye Health Survey. As a first step, commission the first New Zealand survey using the WHO Eye care situation analysis tool (ECSAT). As a first step, commission the first New Zealand survey using the WHO Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ECSAT). This will be the first ECSAT for New Zealand and the only pilot in a High-Income Country.