On June 14^th in the House of Commons, Hon. Judy Sgro, MP for Humber River-Black Creek, introduced Bill C-284 to establish a National Strategy for Eye Care.

Fighting Blindness Canada applauds this step. For years, Fighting Blindness Canada in partnership with other vision organizations including Canadian Council of the Blind, CNIB, Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada, Diabetes Canada, Canadian Association of Optometrists and Canadian Ophthalmological Society have advocated for a National Vision Health Plan. This plan is necessary to focus energy and resources on eye health and the impact that vision loss has for health and well-being.

When introducing the Bill, Mrs. Sgro said “Mr. Speaker, I am very happy today to have the opportunity to introduce this bill calling for a national strategy on eye care, something that, for many years, Canadians have been calling for, and something that the government has promised many times before that.

I want to acknowledge that I am introducing this bill in memory of my grandmother, Annie Steeves, and I continue to see my aunt Ruby Gentile and my long-time friend and mentor Paul Valenti, who suffer from blindness.”

Mrs. Sgro cited the over eight million Canadians living with a blinding eye disease as why the House needs to pass this Bill. “I ask all of my colleagues to just imagine how their lives would change if they lost their eyesight. We take it for granted, and we do not stop to think enough. Over eight million people currently live with a blinding eye disease that puts them at risk, and these numbers are expected to grow to almost 14 million people.”

“Many of us currently in the House may also develop macular degeneration, and I would like to see February designated as macular degeneration awareness month.” Mrs. Srgo continued.

“The Canadian Council of the Blind, Fighting Blindness Canada, CNIB and countless other organizations have been calling for an eye strategy for Canada, to move forward with the commitment made previously to develop a national eye strategy that will protect the eye health of all Canadians.”

The Bill’s first reading motion was adopted and the Bill will now move to a second reading. Fighting Blindness Canada urges you to write to your M.P. to encourage them to support the Bill.

Click HERE for the full press release.

One-third of Ontarians haven’t had an eye exam in over three years, and 55% feel as though eyewear is currently not affordable for Canadians, a recent poll found. That’s why Specsavers is announcing an investment of $50 million into Ontario to enhance eye health outcomes, reduce preventable blindness and redefine accessible eye care.

“Our Government is pleased to welcome Specsavers to Ontario,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “This $50 million investment will create 1500 jobs for the people of Ontario and is further proof that by lowering the cost of doing business by $7 billion each and every year, we have made our province a more attractive place to invest.”

This investment is aimed at creating business ownership opportunities for opticians and independent optometrists, helping them to achieve success while remaining autonomous and patientcare focused.

“Specsavers’ investment into Ontario aligns with our purpose of changing lives through better sight,” said Bill Moir, General Manager, Specsavers Canada. “Seventy-five per cent of vision loss and blindness is preventable or treatable with early intervention. With Specsavers’ global scale, we are able to lower the cost of eyewear for Ontarians, which helps remove a significant barrier to getting regular eye exams, especially at a time when Ontarians are being more careful with their money due to rising costs.”

Specsavers Canada is focused on following the clinical evidence from Specsavers in Australia, where consistent use of OCT as part of standard care has enabled a significant increase in early detection and management of conditions like glaucoma. This ensures patients are made aware of any risks they have so their condition can be managed preventatively before vision is lost.

Specsavers’ investment into Ontario is part of a $100 million investment plan for Canada, which was announced earlier this year to open 200 locations across the country. This multi-million-dollar investment will cover 100% of location start-up costs for optometrists and opticians who become Specsavers business owners. All optometry clinics and optical stores will be locally owned, creating new jobs and allowing owners to focus on the specific needs of their community.

Source : Specsavers

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is working with the International Myopia Institute (IMI) to promote the distribution of a survey investigating myopia management by eye care professionals (ECPs) worldwide.

The IMI survey titled ‘Myopia Control Attitudes and Practice’ builds upon data gathered in 2016 and 2019 to establish adoption of the latest evidence addressing the myopia epidemic and how it varies geographically and among ECPs.

In 2021, the WCO board of directors unanimously adopted a resolution calling for an evidence-based standard of care for myopia which is comprised of the three main components of mitigation, measurement, and management.

World Council of Optometry President Peter Hendicott, MAppSc, PhD said, “We encourage eye care professionals worldwide to take this survey whether or not they employ myopia management in their practices.

The World Council of Optometry fully supports our colleagues at the International Myopia Institute in gathering this critical information to learn more about what is happening in practices around the world and how we can get ahead of the myopia epidemic.”

International Myopia Institute Chair, Professor Serge Resnikoff, said, “Receiving feedback directly from eye care practitioners would help IMI to identify areas that need further knowledge dissemination and understand factors that could hinder practitioners from adopting best practices.”

The IMI global practitioner survey is available in the following languages:

• IMI survey (English)
• IMI survey (Danish)
• IMI survey (Greek)
• IMI survey (Italian)
• IMI survey (Russian)
• IMI survey (Spanish)
• IMI survey (Simplified Chinese)
• IMI survey (Traditional Chinese)
• IMI survey (Turkish)
• IMI survey (Vietnamese)

The survey is open to eye care professionals worldwide and is scheduled to close in October 2022.  Results are expected to be tabulated and reported in early 2023.

The IMI survey promotion is one aspect of WCO’s ongoing collaboration with CooperVision, now in its second year, to advance myopia management as the standard of care worldwide.  

Click HERE for the full press release. 

Survey finds Canadians aren’t wearing sunglasses enough, which can increase risk of cataracts

Many Canadians love basking in the sun during the long-awaited summer months, but they’re not taking enough precautions to protect their eyes from damaging UV rays that can lead to cataracts, one of the four leading eye diseases. In time for UV Safety Awareness Month, a joint survey from the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the Canadian Association of Optometrists reveals that just two-thirds of Canadians regularly wear sunglasses on a sunny day (64 per cent) or during the summer months (63 per cent), and only 33 per cent wear them all year long. If left untreated, cataracts can cause blindness.

“It’s important to protect our eyes from harmful UV rays all year long to decrease the risk of developing cataracts later in life,” says Dr. Phil Hooper, President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. “While this eye disease is more common in people over 60, young people are still at risk, so taking the necessary precaution now will only help decrease their chances of getting this eye disease in the future.”

The survey also revealed that younger Canadians may not be taking enough precaution in protecting their eyes from harmful UV rays. Only a third of respondents say that their children regularly wear sunglasses on a sunny day (33 per cent) or during the summer months (32 per cent), and only 13 per cent say their children wear them on a cloudy day, despite the fact that UV rays are still present. 

Over 2.5 million people in Canada are living with cataracts, and while the eye disease is most common in people over the age of 60, changes to the lens generally start around the age of 40.

Click HERE for the full press release.