Eye Care Leaders Convene to Shape the Collaborative Future of the Professions

Thursday, June 5 2025 | 11 h 59 min | News

A new national initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration across the eye care profession was officially launched this week, uniting professionals and policymakers under a shared goal of advancing vision care in Canada.

The event, titled Shaping the Future of Eye Care Together, marked the beginning of a collaboration between the Academy of Ophthalmic Education (AOE) and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). It brought together representatives from all three Os—opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists—as well as Members of Parliament and industry leaders.

Among the attendees was the Honourable Dawn Gallagher Murphy, who joined a broad cross-section of stakeholders for an evening focused on professional unity and sector advancement.

A central component of the evening was a panel discussion featuring a lineup of prominent voices in Canadian eye care:

Dr. Allan Ulsifer, CEO, FYi Health Group
Dr. Baseer Khan, Founder and Ophthalmologist, Clarity Eye Institute
Dr. Kerry Salsberg, OD and Founder, Eyes on Sheppard
Dr. Stan Woo, Director, University of Waterloo School of Optometry
Dr. Wes McCann, Founder, Doctors Vision Group

The panel was moderated by Urooj Faisal, Vice President – RBC Healthcare, and explored topics such as practice growth, innovation, interprofessional collaboration, and the evolving landscape of patient-centered care.

The gathering underscored growing momentum for interprofessional dialogue in the vision sector and highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead.