Anmatyerre artist Curtis Haines sees a lack of hope in his community among people who have low vision or are blind.
"I feel bad because I can see," he said. "I want others to see too, what I see."
Indigenous Australians suffer from low vision or blindness at three times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians.
Now, Haines is part of a collaboration between Vision Australia and the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress to create artwork and help close the gap.
Ellie Hudson is a vision loss specialist with Vision Australia, working with Congress, which is based in Alice Springs.
She said the artworks were an important way of reducing the stigma around poor vision in First Nations people.
"People don't talk up much about eyes," Ms Hudson said.
"We want to say it's alright, you can talk about it, and you can get help."
The artworks will feature information on how to maintain eye health, as well as steps to seek help and receive treatment.
They will also feature images showcasing connection to country, like hunting and connecting with family — aimed at demonstrating what can still be done if vision loss is prevented, or when treatment is completed.
Ms Hudson said the artworks were a way to help diversify service delivery, so it was more effective for First Nations people.
"We can't just sit here and keep servicing clients one way when we know that there's a better way," she said.
"We don't want people skipping out and not seeing the eye doctor, or not getting their eyes checked and looking after their health.
"Having this artwork that we're doing is a way for us to express, in a cultural way, and for people to know who we are."
Funding doesn't support ongoing engagement with patients
The NDIS and My Aged Care are the funding models used to support patients seeking treatment for vision loss through Congress.
Ms Hudson said those models did not take into consideration the challenges involved in maintaining relationships with patients who lived in remote communities — or the barriers in communicating often complex procedures.
"There's not really enough funding given out for people on NDIS, for instance, because it takes longer to engage with somebody, and then they might be busy or have other health things happening," she said.
"The funding is set up from a Western perspective. It doesn't support culturally safe services for the Indigenous population."
Haines said communication that was not considered could be offensive to First Nations people seeking care.
"We want to make things people can understand — why and how," he said.
Once the art was developed, Haines hoped it would instil hope in those he saw suffering from poor vision and also encourage young people to look after their eyes.
"I want to make people realise that they can do stuff after surgery, and do a lot of things they used to do in their young life, like walk around, or going hunting," he said.
Members of the community are invited to give their input on the drawings through two forums, held by Vision Australia, in April.
A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) says the agency is committed to building a strong and culturally relevant NDIS, and ensuring First Nations participants and their families have access to the disability-related supports they require.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has been contacted for comment.
