The First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA) is proud to be leading new research in partnership with the Deadly Vision Centre as part of the Ngaaminya Project, a First Nations-led initiative focused on improving eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Funded through the Lowitja Institute, the Ngaaminya Project is designed to map community expectations of what "good eye health" looks like for children, placing the voices, knowledge and priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities at the centre of the work.
This research is a critical part of FNEHA's broader model of care work, supporting the development of culturally strong, community-led approaches to eye health designed by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
At its core, the Ngaaminya Project recognises that improving outcomes for children requires more than clinical services alone. It seeks to understand how families and communities define healthy vision, what supports are needed, and how services can be better designed to meet those needs early in life, giving children the best possible start and helping to prevent avoidable vision loss in the future.
The partnership with the Deadly Vision Centre brings strong community leadership and practical expertise in delivering culturally safe, Aboriginal-led eye care. Together, this collaboration reflects a shared commitment to self-determination in health, ensuring that services, systems and models of care are grounded in culture, community priorities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, doing and being.
"This project is about listening to the community and making sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices lead the way. If we want better outcomes for our children, we need models of care that are built with community, reflect culture, and respond to what families actually need."
The Ngaaminya Project will contribute to a growing evidence base that supports the design of sustainable, community-controlled models of eye care, helping to close the gap in vision outcomes and ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can thrive.
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