Patients frustrated by ongoing feud between government and optometrists
Ontario's optometrists and the provincial government aren't seeing eye to eye with an ongoing dispute that has made it difficult for residents, like Mark Strangemore, to get a routine eye exam.
Strangemore was diagnosed with an eye disorder several years ago and is frustrated that he's been unable to see an eye doctor.
"Who is there to help us, the people and the patients, who need the professional help," Strangemore said. "It's slowly progressively getting worse. I do experience some pain in my eyes here and there."
The funding dispute hasn't seen either side return to the bargaining table since August.
"We would like to talk to these optometrists to get a reasonable solution," said parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, Robin Martin. "We would like nothing more than to have them come back to the table today."
Optometrists withdrew services covered by OHIP more than a month ago, including eye exams for children and seniors.
The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) said it wouldn't budge until the province agreed to cover operating costs.
"We just want the government to publicly commit in writing that when we determine what the exact costs are together to provide these services, they are going to pay these costs," said the president of the OAO, Dr. Sheldon Salaba.
Optometrists say underfunded services have left them paying roughly half the cost out of pocket.
Last Friday, the government gave a one-time payment of $39 million split between Ontario optometrists for services rendered over the past 10 years. This comes after the government's initial offer of an 8.48 per cent pay increase per patient was rejected by the OAO.
"That represents about a dollar per service because we did 34 million services and optometrists in the province subsidized about a billion dollars during that decade to see OHIP patients," Salaba said.
Optometrists said they are offering emergency services, but some patients tell CTV News if they can't get an appointment, they can't determine if it's an emergency.
"For those patients, I feel very sorry that that has happened, it would never have been our intention to do that, and it lies strictly at the behaviour of the government," Salaba said.
At the same time, the province said it's disappointed with both optometrists and the OAO.
"No one should be suffering harm or deterioration of eyesight or suffering in any way because of a lack of an appointment. They have a professional obligation to help those people," Martin said.
Martin added that if anyone is having trouble getting an appointment, to call the College of Optometrists, who can help find an eye doctor who is not a member of the OAO and provides services to those covered by OHIP.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6947618.1719864087!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Flash flooding in B.C. Interior affects at least 20 homes, emergency officials say
At least 20 homes have been affected by flash flooding in the British Columbia Interior following heavy rains that forced the overnight closure of the Trans-Canada Highway near Kamloops.
Fire at gas metering station sparks grass fire that shut Alberta highway
Yellowhead County in west-central Alberta says a fire that prompted the closure of a major highway west of Edmonton involved a gas metering station.
These ultraprocessed foods may shorten your life, study says
Eating higher levels of ultraprocessed food may shorten lifespans by more than 10 per cent, according to a new, unpublished study of over 500,000 people whom researchers followed for nearly three decades.
Eddie Murphy is still stung by that David Spade joke on 'Saturday Night Live'
Eddie Murphy is reflecting on some of the “cheap shots” he feels he’s taken over the years.
If you qualify for this tax credit, you can expect a payment in your bank account this week
The next quarterly GST/HST tax credit payment is expected to go out this week, according to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Judge calls Jeffrey Epstein 'most infamous pedophile in American history' as he releases transcripts
A Florida judge released Monday afternoon the transcripts of a 2006 grand jury investigation that looked into sex trafficking and rape allegations made against the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump has immunity for official, not private acts
The U.S. Supreme Court found on Monday that Donald Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were within his constitutional powers as president, but can for private acts, in a landmark ruling recognizing for the first time any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.
This 12-year-old memorized the periodic table at age two. He's heading to NYU after finishing high school in just two years
Recent high school graduate Suborno Isaac Bari, 12, plans to start studying math and physics at New York University in the fall, but he’s already got his ambitious sights set on beginning a doctoral program.
Possible indecent gesture at Euro 2024 game under investigation
England star Jude Bellingham is being investigated by UEFA over a potentially offensive gesture made during a European Championship win against Slovakia.