Earlier this month the Alberta Government announced they will reduce or eliminate funding for many optometric services, effective Feb 1, 2025.
Coverage has been eliminated for some services, and reduced by as much as 32% from 2017 levels for others.
These cuts will affect seniors, and children and include but are not limited to patients with Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetes, and many other eye diseases. Optometrists have not received any funding increase from the government since 2017, despite cumulative inflation of over 21% during this period.
We have tried our best to control costs and subsidize low reimbursement levels to allow everyone to have access to quality eye care. However, with reduced funding for testing, and imaging and the elimination of previously funded services, it is no longer sustainable to provide eye care services at no cost to our patients.
How these funding cuts may affect you:
We believe strongly in providing the same high level of care to our patients as we would want for ourselves and our families. We will continue to reinvest in the latest technology to prevent, monitor, and treat eye conditions at the highest standards of care.
Unfortunately, along with most optometry clinics in Alberta, we have been faced with the difficult decision to institute patient co-pays for some services. We have tried to keep these fees as low as possible in order to cover increasing staff, overhead, and technology costs. We will do our best to inform you of fees in advance so you can prepare for your visit with us.
Routine annual eye exam for seniors 65 years old and up; Co-pay of $45
Medical visits for any reason, including red eyes, pain, sudden vision changes, dilated fundus exams, post-operative care, and pre-operative consultations are largely covered by Alberta Health Care.
Funding has been eliminated for medically necessary imaging more than once per year. Some eye conditions that require ongoing monitoring and imaging more than once per year will incur private pay costs per imaging test needed. We will ensure we have your consent should the need for such imaging arise during your visit.
Co-pay between $20.00 to $160.00
- for required tests such as Visual Fields, Ocular Coherence Tomography, and Optos photos for ongoing monitoring of chronic eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes, uveitis, dry eye, keratoconus, and others.
Please understand that we are just as frustrated and disappointed in these changes as you are. We encourage you to contact your MLA to discuss these changes as they are unfortunately beyond our control. We appreciate your understanding and hope that you continue to see value in preventative eye care to take care of your most precious senses.
