The Landscape of Eye Care Across Canada
Vision health is a universal issue that shapes our ability to learn, work, and participate in daily life. Although an estimated 2.2 million Canadians identify as having a vision impairment, millions more are at risk of conditions where early detection can significantly slow progression. Vision impairment includes low vision or blindness—the partial or complete inability to see—resulting from conditions that affect the eyes, optic nerves, or the brain's visual pathways.
In Canada, the leading causes of low vision or blindness include uncorrected refractive errors, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Many of these conditions are progressive and irreversible, severely compromise autonomy and quality of life.
Drivers of low vision or blindness include an aging demographic, the rise of chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension, acute events such as a stroke, and a lack of public awareness and equitable access to affordable vision care. A large per cent of conditions can be delayed in their progression if detected and treated early enough.
Economic & Social Impact
The total cost of vision loss in Canada was estimated at $32.9 billion in 2019. This cost is multifaceted, including direct health care expenditures and indirect social cost.
The social costs of vision loss arise from lost income due to reduced workforce participation and economic hardship imposed on individuals and their families. Many individuals are unable to pursue education or maintain employment. Beyond financial challenges, the current paradigm often fails to account for the impact of vision loss on individuals' day-to-day lives and independence. Loss of autonomy has major effects on individuals' mental health, dignity, and their personal relationships. These consequences make vision loss one of Canada's most significant health challenges. However, since vision loss is not typically considered to be a life-threatening condition, its life changing impact on daily living and independence are often not considered within public health and awareness priority areas.
The impact of vision loss extends well beyond direct health care costs. In 2019, total well-being costs related to vision loss were estimated at $17.4 billion, compared with $15.6 billion in direct health-care costs. This suggests that the greatest burden of vision loss is social rather than clinical, affecting independence, quality of life, and overall well-being.
There is a significant opportunity for long-term cost saving through prevention and early detection.
Despite the widespread impact of vision loss , vision health services are largely fragmented from the broader health system, and social and economic impacts are often underestimated.
Access to comprehensive vision care across the lifespan is limited by the lack of a common framework for care, reimbursement, and services across provinces and territories. Vision care is frequently isolated from the broader health care system, despite vision loss being commonly associated with other disabilities that fall within the system, such as mental health conditions. Barriers to equitable care are further compounded by financial constraints caused by expensive assistive technologies, as well as indirect medical costs for transportation and accommodation.
The Opportunity Ahead
The National Strategy for Eye Care represents an opportunity for Canada to improve vision health outcomes for all Canadians.
We welcome this Strategy as a catalyst to strengthen access to care, improve system integration, reinforce Canada as a leading vision health research country, and raise awareness to promote prevention and early detection.