An open letter to our patients:

Optometrists like yours are the backbone of Ontario’s vision care and eye health system.

But, for more than 30 years, governments have failed to invest in eye care. As a result, OHIP now only covers half the cost of an eye exam. Optometrists pay the rest out of their own pocket – $173 million every year.

Before the pandemic, this situation was unfair and unsustainable. But today, with optometry practices beginning the process of gradually re-opening, many optometrists are facing a crisis.

To comply with physical distancing directives from the government and the College of Optometrists of Ontario, optometrists can only see half the number of patients they did before COVID-19. This will wipe out nearly two million comprehensive eye exams over the next 12 months. With statistics showing that 1 in 3 Ontarians will have some form of vision-threatening eye disease by the age of 65, finding a sustainable solution is ever more pressing.

The Ontario government needs to open its eyes to a crisis that’s about to become visible for all to see.

Help us save eye care in Ontario. Visit our website SaveEyeCare.ca and tell the Ontario government to reform OHIP for a more sustainable eye care system. We owe it to our parents and grandparents, our children and grandchildren, to find a better way forward.

Thank you,

Dr. David Bobor
Dr. Gregory Wilson
Dr. Paul Szak
Dr. Michael Georgeff
Dr. Meghan Telfer
Dr. Rachel Kormos