Ontario changes eye exam eligibility for seniors under OHIP
Ontario changes eye exam eligibility for seniors under OHIP
A free eye exam is performed on a patient at the Remote Area Medical clinic inside the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Ontario has reached a funding agreement with optometrists that increases some payments to them, but reduces some coverage for patients, including less frequent general eye exams for seniors.
As of Sept. 1, people aged 65 and older will be covered for one eye exam every 18 months, instead of one a year, unless they have a condition affecting their eyes such as macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetes.
The province said that decision was made with the Ontario Association of Optometrists. It is based on "the best clinical evidence and prioritizes seniors with the highest needs," the government said, noting Manitoba and Nova Scotia insure eye exams every two years for healthy seniors.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the move will hurt seniors.
"Seniors are having a hard enough time right now without having to go longer between eye exams, which are critical to seniors' health," she said in a statement.
"Preventative eye care is important to catching issues early and could impact seniors' ability to live independently. Only seniors who can afford to pay out-of-pocket will be able to get more frequent eye exams."
The four-year agreement comes after contentious and lengthy talks. Optometrists withdrew from performing provincially insured eye services from September to November 2021 amid a dispute over the amount they were being reimbursed.
The province's health plan covers annual eye exams for residents aged 19 and under, 65 and older and people with specific health conditions. Optometrists said the province had been underfunding the OHIP-covered services, leaving them paying around 45 per cent out of pocket.
A statement Friday from Health Minister Sylvia Jones said optometrists have ratified a four-year funding agreement that includes an increase to payments for some OHIP-insured services and eye exams for social assistance recipients, but it didn't detail amounts.
"The way eye care is delivered has changed over the past decade," Jones said in the written statement.
"Together, we were able to come to a long-term and sustainable agreement. Through their OHIP card, people of all ages will continue to be connected to high-quality and publicly-funded eye care that better reflects the latest best practices and expert advice."
The statement also lists a number of other eligibility changes under the agreement.
As well, seniors will no longer be able to receive unlimited minor follow-up assessments after an annual eye exam. Instead, they would be able to get two of those assessments every 18 months, or 12 months for seniors with certain medical conditions affecting their eyes.
Adults between age 20 and 64 with lazy eye will no longer be covered for eye exams. People in that age range with strabismus - who are currently covered for eye exams - will now only be able to receive them through OHIP if the condition has a sudden onset.
People with cataracts are currently covered for eye exams, but starting Sept. 1 they will only be covered if they have "clinically significant decreased vision that impacts their daily life" or if a surgery referral is made.
People with retinal disease, corneal disease and optic pathway disease will only be covered if their cases are active, as opposed to being insured for an eye exam at any time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2023.
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston is being questioned by MPs at committee about his role, his report into election meddling, his decision against a public inquiry, and allegations of a conflict of interest.
The number of interactions between killer whales and humans has increased alarmingly in recent years. CTVNews.ca asked an expert to explain the reasons behind the increase in interactions, explore the types of encounters, and examine the implications for both humans and killer whales.
Prince Harry entered a courtroom witness box Tuesday, swearing to tell the truth in testimony against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
The wall of a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow controls collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe's largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war rushed to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the emergency.
A huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone.
Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on 'The Girl from Ipanema' made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova, has died at age 83.
A 53-year-old man was shot and killed in the Montreal suburb of Dorval on Monday afternoon. A source told CTV News that the victim is Francesco Del Balso, who has links to Montreal's Mafia.
The numerous forest fires raging in certain regions of Quebec have led to thousands of evacuations since the weekend and continue to threaten infrastructure on Tuesday. Temporary accommodation centres have been opened in nine municipalities on the Côte-Nord, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, to accommodate evacuees.
Marking the two year anniversary of the alleged terror attack that took the lives of four members of the same family, the board has announced an Anti-Islamophobia Strategy.
On this day in 2021, four out of five members of a London, Ont. family were killed while they were out for a walk and struck by a vehicle, in an apparently deliberate attack.
One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Lambton County. The crash happened June 2 just before 9:30 p.m. and officers responded to a ditch on Shiloh Line in Petrolia.
Flames and smoke could be seen shooting out of a home on Graham Street in Waterloo shortly after midnight on Monday, creating a scene that firefighters say was intense before they arrived.
While firefighters get more forest fires under control in northern Ontario, travel restrictions declared under an emergency order are being expanded in several communities.
A 13-year-old from Elliot Lake in northern Ontario has been charged with sexual assault again, bringing the total to 10, after another survivor came forward.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
Officials are asking people living around Centennial Lake to evacuate their homes as a forest fire burns in the area west of Calabogie, Ont. An evacuation order has been extended to Wednesday afternoon.
Capital Pride will be receiving money from the federal government to cover costs of added security measures at this year's Pride parade and other events.
Police in Barrie say another unsanctioned truck rally held in the city's north end over the weekend drew hundreds of participants and onlookers in a "chaotic scene of disrespect and total disregard for private property."
Hammonds Plains Road reopened to traffic early Tuesday morning more than week after wildfires began in the Halifax area. Officials say the fires in the area are contained, though crews continue to deal with hot spots and flare ups.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Calgary-based Cenovus Energy says it has safely restarted a portion of its production that was shut down because of the threat of wildfires in northern and central Alberta.
A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Winnipeg is hoping one day she will be able to bring her husband's remains to her new home, a place he hoped one day he too would be able to call home.
The provincial wildfire service is warning British Columbians to have a go-bag and make an evacuation plan with this year's wildfire season off to an alarming start.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Real estate experts say B.C.’s housing market is heating back after cooling off due to rising interest rates but the future is uncertain as several economists expect the Bank of Canada to hike rates again.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Edmonton police launched a new tool Monday to encourage reports of "hate incidents," something officers believe will help them track people who may escalate to "hate crimes."
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
A free eye exam is performed on a patient at the Remote Area Medical clinic inside the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
