Access for All
We must work in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, and key interest-holders to support coordinated, person-centered care pathways throughout Canada for prevention and rehabilitation. Ensuring individuals receive the right care, at the right time, by the right professional, with clear pathways to navigate services, and consistent accountability across the vision health workforce.
The vision health system is often difficult or unfamiliar to navigate, creating significant distress and delays for patients, especially those coping with a new diagnosis of vision loss. The patient journey through the vision health system is often unclear with limited guidance on the next steps. This can lead to delays in care and uncertainty for patients and families.
Primary health care providers, like family doctors, often lack appropriate training or tools to screen for eye conditions or to make timely referrals, and patients may face long waits to access vision care in some parts of Canada. Some may be unsure where to turn for the right vision care.
Coordinated, person-centred care pathways would ensure that regardless of how someone accesses the system, they are connected to the right care at the right time.
We must also work in partnership with Indigenous communities to co-design equitable standards of care for programs and services related to vision health.
Vision health remains a critically underserved and overlooked area for Indigenous peoples in Canada, with preventable and treatable eye conditions occurring at disproportionately higher rates. Indigenous peoples must often travel long distances – up to 900 kilometers in territories – to see a vision health professional. Barriers also exist for many vision care professionals who may rely on fundraising efforts to deliver care to Indigenous communities.
It is critical to work in partnership with Indigenous communities to address the many systemic barriers that exist in accessing vision care. With culturally appropriate co-designed community- based standards of care, we can reduce rates of eye health conditions – such as diabetic retinopathy – in Indigenous communities.