The Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) says it was “blindsided” by changes to Alberta’s coverage for certain services, which they say will have an impact on seniors and rural residents.
The changes were distributed to optometrists by the Alberta health ministry January 3, and are to take effect February 1.
Under the changes, partial eye exams will be delisted. According to the AAO, this means follow-ups after a full eye exam will no longer be covered although coverage for seniors’ initial eye exams is unaffected.
Frequency of retinal imaging and photography, currently covered by Alberta Health, will be reduced by half.
A third major change is that basic eyecare services and medically-necessary eyecare cannot be billed on the same day. This will force patients to book a separate appointment which, according to AAO, creates undue inconvenience for rural residents and seniors.
“We were blindsided by the changes,” AAO president Dr. Sophia Leung told Respect. “Alberta Health announced these changes without really any prior consultation with the Alberta Association of Optometrists.”
Leung said the association had always enjoyed a good working relationship with Alberta Health. She said in her previous conversation with health minister Adriana LaGrange, “it seemed like there was an appreciation for the services that optometry provides— essential services and frontline eye care services.
“And taking care of populations like rural Albertans and senior Albertans in a lot of conditions that are more prevalent as we get older, and a lot of that needs chronic eye care,” she said.
“So yeah, these changes are far sweeping and negative, and it was a surprise to us. We are deeply disappointed that that was how it came up.”
She said optometry goes far beyond simply fitting people with glasses, and timely treatment for certain conditions “can be vision-saving and in certain cases life-saving.”
“Without proper assessment of the back of the eyes and consistent follow-ups, there’s a lot of reasons why a person might not be able to see well. Or they may not even know in some cases, like glaucoma for example,” Leung said.
The changes especially affect seniors, children, and rural residents, she said. The loss of coverage for partial examinations, the changes in the ability to do a full assessment with same-day further testing, and having patients re-book to come back on a different day create barriers for treatment, “especially in rural areas, and for seniors who may have to have their family members or friends drive them.”
Leung said the AAO has met once with Alberta Health since the changes were announced, but nothing has come from that meeting so far. “Our hope and our aim is for Alberta Health to stop those changes, [and] that there can be an understanding of the negative impact of what these changes could mean,” she said.

This is just crazy!!! Seniors are already struggling to make ends meet every month. They are going to food banks just to have something to eat!! A lot of them been have to depend on family members to help, while the families are having a time meeting their own needs. It’s hard enough for seniors with dementia to deal with that, let alone not having eye care now, and I’m sure they won’t be getting the care they need. If they want to cut back on money, why don’t they cut back on their unnecessary expenses! Seniors have worked their whole life to get a bit of a break for their retirement. This is just crazy!!!