To help address this gap, Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit, has launched a new health promotion flipchart, ‘Your Eyes and the 715 Health Check.’ Developed in collaboration with primary health care providers and community members, this simple and visual tool is designed to remind primary care staff and community that a basic eye check is a critical and mandatory component of the 715 Health Check. Promoting the eye health component within the 715 Health Check can also support the use of retinal photography for people with diabetes (MBS item 12325). Used in combination, these two Medicare items help ensure that both general vision checks and targeted retinal examinations are included in routine primary care.

The flipchart can be used in a range of settings, including clinic consultations, and outlines what the eye check involves:

• Asking about vision changes or eye problems
• Testing vision using a chart
• Examining the front and back of the eye
• Referring for specialist care when needed

It also includes culturally appropriate images and plain language explanations of the main eye conditions.

The flipchart, and other eye health promotion resources supporting community awareness of the main eye conditions affecting First Nations people, can be ordered for FREE via the ‘Order Resources’ section on the Minum Barreng health promotion webpage.

SEMPHN commissions Better Health Network and Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-operative Ltd to deliver the Integrated Team Care program across south east Melbourne. The program provides Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with complex chronic health conditions with support to manage their conditions. More information about this program can be found here.