441-01876 (Health)

Vision care is beneficial through all stages of life. Healthy vision is important for young children’s development, and helps to make many careers and activities of daily life easier. As people age, maintaining good eye health can reduce the odds of facing blindness and vision loss, as well as improve outcomes associated with eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma.

Vision loss in Canada can be caused by several common eye diseases, including macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. According to a report from Deloitte and the Canadian Council of the Blind, more than eight million Canadians had a common eye disease in 2019 and were at serious risk of losing their vision. More than 1 in 10 older adults had some degree of vision loss.

Regular eye exams can identify early issues with eye health and also screen for a range of health conditions including high blood pressures, diabetes, macular degeneration, and various blood diseases.

While provinces and territories have primary jurisdiction in the administration and delivery of health care services, the federal health portfolio is leading and supporting a range of activities related to eye disease prevention and treatment.

The Government of Canada is committed to investing in our health care system and supporting provinces and territories in delivering better health care for Canadians. The 2023 Federal Budget committed close to $200 billion over ten years in health funding to provinces and territories. This includes $46.2 billion in new funding, $25 billion of which has been designated to address four shared health priorities:

• expanding access to family health services, including in rural and remote areas;
• supporting our health workers and reducing backlogs;
• improving access to quality mental health and substance use services; and,
• modernizing the health care system with standardized health data and digital tools.

This funding builds on the 2017 investment of $11 billion over ten years to help provinces and territories improve home and community care, and mental health, and $3 billion to strengthen long-term care from Budget 2021. 

Addressing health workforce shortages and surgical backlogs, including for vision-related surgeries, is a key part of the Government of Canada’s plan for the health care system. Budget 2023 included a $2 billion one-time top-up to provinces and territories to address urgent pressures in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and pediatric hospitals.

Indigenous Services Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits Program also provides vision care to eligible First Nations and Inuit beneficiaries where not otherwise covered by other plans or programs. The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program’s vision care coverage includes eye exams, corrective eyewear, and eyeglass repairs.

The Government of Canada recognizes that supporting research is key to a fulsome understanding of eye health, including how to prevent vision loss. Since 2018, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have invested approximately $61 million in vision-related research. This research spans the spectrum of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of various vision-related conditions.

Health Canada also regulates drugs and medical devices, including those intended to be used for eye diseases and conditions. Where warranted, Health Canada has existing expedited review pathways that can be used to facilitate quicker access to health products that treat, prevent, or diagnose serious or life-threatening disease and conditions. Health Canada is also working closely with key stakeholders to identify and mitigate critical shortages of ophthalmic products when they occur.

Finally, the Government of Canada is committed to the prevention and treatment of eye disease, and fully supports Canada’s public health system, which provides coverage for any vision care service that must be performed in a hospital.

Private Member’s Bill C-284 will follow the legislative process and be debated in accordance with rules governing Private Members Bills.