The eyesight of 32,000 Indigenous Australians could be saved if the federal government committed more than $20 million, a report has suggested.
 Blindness among Indigenous Australians is six times more likely than among non-indigenous Australians, and 94 per cent of these cases are preventable, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, produced in conjunction with Meblourne University and released on Tuesday. 
Melbourne University professor Hugh Taylor, who is chairman of Indigenous Eye Health, said Indigenous adults were falling out of the system by the time they reached 40 years old. He called for greater attention to be paid to poor vision among Indigenous people. 
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have much better vision than non-Indigenous kids. But by the time they reach 40 and above, Indigenous adults have six times as much blindness, and almost all the vision loss is unnecessary," he said.
"That gap could effectively be closed overnight. The current report shows that the money that is being spent is not being spent very efficiently," he said. 
The report, The Value of Indigenous Sight, proposes  increasing eye care services and programs, and early detection of eye conditions. It suggests the government invests an extra $23 million in 2016.
But the federal government says it is "absolutely committed" to closing the gap by providing $3.3 billion in funding for Indigenous health. The health gap is currently 11 per cent between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. 
"The eye health sector, led by Vision 2020, has provided a joint funding proposal which is presently being considered by government to enhance indigenous eye health co-ordination," a spokesman for Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash said. 
The Fred Hollows Foundation, which provides eye exams and eye healthcare for people in remote communities, supported the PWC report, saying there had been a "historic under-investment" in Indigenous health, including screening and access to surgery.
"The fact that Indigenous Australians are six times more likely to go blind is unacceptable and that gap must be closed," spokesman Nick Martin said. "But also the report does demonstrate that there is a significant funding gap."
In   July, Health Minister Sussan Ley placed a drug targeting serious eye conditions for those who have diabetes on the Medical Benefits Scheme, investing $541 million.
Professor Taylor said access to this drug still remained a problem.
"They key is we have to know when people need treatment," he said. "At the moment only one in five Aboriginal people who have diabetes are getting the annual eye exams they need. While the drug may be available, if people are not getting examined then it doesn't matter if the drug is there or not."
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