The economic impact of vision loss in Canada is $15.6 billion annually according to a 2021 Deloitte study commissioned by Fighting Blindness Canada. Of that, $9.5 billion are direct health system costs and $4.3 billion in productivity loss (e.g., absenteeism, presenteeism, long-term disability, etc.)
According to the report, 1.2 million Canadians (3.2%) live with vision loss. About 75% of vision loss is preventable or treatable - Glaucoma, Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, cataracts, and refractive error. Improving access to resources for prevention and treatment can both reduce the number of Canadians with vision loss and reduce the significant economic burden.
A large portion of the $15.6 billion impact of vision loss in Canada falls onto either employers (plan sponsors) or people living with vision loss. In addition to modest costs for group vision care benefits, employers experience costs in presenteeism, absenteeism and disability for employees with vision loss. Patients experience out-of-pocket expenses because of limitations in provincial and private group benefit coverage. These range from the expense of additional visits to their optometrist for the monitoring and management of eye diseases, to more complex lenses, assistive devices, and home modifications.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists’ own research on vision care was released in a 2020 white paper “Vision Care Benefits in Canada – The Case for Reform.” The paper highlights that most group vision and healthcare plan coverage is inadequate for those with increased vision care needs. In addition to an allowance of one comprehensive eye examination every 24 months for adults, a typical group insurance plan will provide a modest allowance for corrective lenses and frames. Few group plans provide an allowance for medically indicated screening, monitoring and treatment for the small percentage of patients who will need ongoing monitoring and care to prevent vision loss, or for those who require more complex treatments. Small adjustments in vision and group health benefit plan coverage could have a big impact by delivering much needed care to those at risk of vision loss and reduce the substantial workplace impact.
The results of the Deloitte report demonstrate the high economic cost of vision loss in Canada, publicly, corporately, and privately. It also provides supportive evidence to the CAO’s own findings that existing vision care coverage falls short in delivering the best quality care to Canadians, care that could reduce the incidence of vision loss and reduce both its human and economic impact.
For more on how private payers can make small adjustments to their vision and healthcare plans to better meet the needs of their employees and their families and to receive the CAO’s white paper and Best Practices Guidebook on vision care (2020) please visit dontlosesight.ca or contact the CAO directly for a one on one conversation on how to improve vision care benefits.