COVID-19 has impacted all Canadians including people living with vision loss and blindness. Deloitte Access Economics, authors of The Cost of Vision Loss and Blindness in Canada Report 2019, investigated health data between March and December of 2020 to determine the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on vision health in Canada. The webinar will present the results of the report.
What you will learn:
8 million+ Canadians are living with an eye disease that can lead to blindness.
1.2 million Canadians are living with vision loss.
143,000 necessary eye surgeries were cancelled or delayed in 2020.
There were 3 million fewer optometry visits in 2020 compared to 2019.
Longer wait times for surgery will result from COVID-19 in a $1.3 billion increase in the cost of vision loss and it’s expected to take two years to clear the additional backlog of eye surgeries including cataracts.
1,437 people lost vision due to delayed eye examinations and treatments during the pandemic.
Three-quarters of cases of vision loss in Canada are reversible, preventable, or treatable if diagnosed early.
Join our expert panel to discuss the implications, action plans, and recommendations for vision health professionals, health policymakers, and citizens of Canada.
Expert Panel:
Dr. Keith Gordon, Senior Research Manager at the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), will present the study’s findings. Dr. Gordon will be followed by a panel of Canada’s eye health leaders:
- Dr. Harry Bohnsack, President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists.
- Dr. Colin Mann, President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
- Louise Gillis, immediate Past President of the CCB.
- Doug Earle, President and CEO of Fighting Blindness Canada.
