Premier Doug Ford
Room 281
Legislative Building, Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1
Dear Premier Ford,
As an option of last resort, I am writing to you about the present crisis in the areas of optometry and primary eye care. Optometrists are the primary eye care physicians. They are the gate keepers of primary vision care. General family physicians or other health care professionals DO NOT have adequate training in eye health nor the sophisticated equipment that is needed and deployed in patient evaluation.
Minister of Health and her team are risking the vision of young children and seniors alike.
Optometrists of Ontario have taken the step of refusing to accept OHIP covered patients since September 1, 2021. Optometrists are not asking for a ‘raise.’ Proof has been provided to the ministry and government that optometrists are subsidizing the government for this service.
I had met Minister Elliot in August 2018 and suggested the simple solution of a ‘balanced billing’ system. British Columbia and Alberta have adopted balanced billing to compensate their optometrists adequately and fairly.
Your Minister of Health is hoping that this issue will soon disappear. She has stopped communications. The profession is sitting idle, emergency rooms are being inundated and our ophthalmologists are already overwhelmed and have long waiting lists.
All your government needs are one or two elderly patients going blind and your political capital will be spent.
Sir, you have done a magnificent job during the pandemic and your have earned respect from all Ontarians. I request your direct intervention in this issue. In the end, what your minster decides will reflect on your leadership.
Failure to respond to a major health care crisis will be very hard to justify, especially when ‘balanced billing’ is a solution which can address the gross underfunding of the optometric services.
Yours respectfully,
Y. Ali Khan, RO
CEO, The Academy of Ophthalmic Education
Updated:
Letter of Support - Clarity Eye Institute - October 15, 2021
Letter of Support - Bochner Eye Institute - October 18, 2021
