The Adelaide eye surgeon was presented with the award at a ceremony in Canberra on Saturday night.

"What a tremendous honour to be named Australian of the Year for 2020 - such an auspicious year for eyesight," he said.

Dr Muecke began his medical career in Kenya, but has most recently turned his focus to type 2 diabetes - the leading cause of blindness in adults.

He plans to use his national platform to challenge Australians' perception of sugar and the impact it has on the development of type 2 diabetes.

The condition affects about one in 10 Australians, is the fastest-growing cause of blindness in Aboriginal people, and the sixth-biggest killer in the country.

He said as an eye surgeon he often saw patients at the end stage of their diabetes, when it's too late to save their sight.

"What saddens me greatly is that, much of the time, such complications are avoidable, whether through lifestyle changes or more disciplined health checks," he said.

"My mission this year is to get back to the root cause of this disease and prevent what will otherwise be our nation's health catastrophe."

He wants to encourage "hard-hitting strategies" to build greater awareness of the detrimental role of sugar.

"And how it's as toxic and addictive as nicotine, and should be treated by consumers, businesses and governments as such.

"More broadly, he paid tribute to firefighters and emergency service workers for their "sacrifice and unwavering commitment" during the ongoing bushfires disaster.

"During this turmoil, we've seen the best in human nature and have witnessed the true Aussie spirit rise - proud, and unrelenting."

Dr Muecke is also the co-founder of Sight for All, personally donating 40 hours of work a week to projects in Ethiopia, nine Asian countries, and Australia to improve the sight and lives of the less fortunate.

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