Alberta Health moves ahead with delisting of partial eye exams for kids, seniors despite pushback from doctors

Despite a last-ditch appeal, Alberta optometrists say the province moved ahead with making changes to eye care coverage over the weekend.

As of Feb. 1, the province is no longer funding partial vision exams for children and seniors — these are additional eye exams for certain conditions, above the standard annual exam.

Other changes that took affect Saturday include reducing the frequency of retinal imaging and photography by 50 per cent, basic eye services and medically necessary care can’t be billed on the same day, limiting claims for retinal imaging and retinal photography up to two times per patient per benefit year, and reducing fees for computer-assisted visual fields tests.

Dr. Sophia Leung, president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO), says the group “made every effort” to ensure Alberta Health was fully aware of the impact the changes would have on Albertans, especially those with eye disease, vulnerable populations, and those living in rural areas.

“We understand that these changes are an additional burden in already challenging times, but so is vision loss,” she said. “We cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining the frequency of eye exams if you have eye disease and ensuring that you are continuing with annual eye exams to maintain optimum vision and eye health.”

The AAO says optometrists will work with patients to find the best solutions to lessen the impact of these changes.

It adds, continued eye care is “critical” for Albertans to maintain the best possible vision and eye health throughout their lives.

“Our primary goal is for Albertans to have access to eye care services that address their everyday vision health needs. The loss of vision is devastating and impacts every area of an individual’s life,” said Leung. “Detecting and addressing issues early can help prevent progressive eye disease and irreversible vision loss.

“Optometrists will continue to be there for Albertans to help them in maintaining their quality of life with the best possible vision and eye health.”

The AAO has previously said it was blindsided by the announcement, claiming no consultations were done with eye doctors in the province on the proposed changes.

The office for Alberta’s health minister previously told CityNews that Alberta spent the most on optometry services in Canada and was the only jurisdiction that covered partial routine eye exams for children and seniors.

“We are working to better align program costs with other provinces and to make responsible decisions when it comes to funding the priorities of today, maintaining core services, paying off debt, and saving for the future,” it added.